The Purpose and Procedure for Getting Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are tooth-shaped caps placed over a tooth to encase it fully. Dental crowns can restore the shape, size, and strength of the tooth besides enhancing its appearance. Dental crowns, when bonded in place, entirely encase the visible portion of a tooth lying above the gum line.

What Is the Purpose of Getting Dental Crowns?

You may need dental crowns in the following situations:

• You want to protect a weak tooth from decay breaking or to hold parts of a cracked tooth.
• You want to restore a broken tooth or a tooth severely worn down.
• You want to cover and support a tooth with a large filling and without sufficient tooth structure.
• You want the crown to protect misshapen or severely discolored teeth.
• You are considering cosmetic modifications.
• You want crowns to hold a dental bridge in place or cover a dental implant.

What Types of Dental Crowns Can You Have?

If you visit dental crowns near you, various types of restorations are displayed before you helping you choose a crown best suited for your needs. However, it helps if you seek advice from the dentist on the type of crown you can have over your decayed or damaged tooth. You can select between stainless steel, porcelain fused metal, all resin, or all-ceramic crowns.

The dentist in Tampa suggests a dental crown after considering the tooth’s location, the extent of the damage, your budget, and various factors before recommending any particular variety to restore your tooth.

The Procedure When Getting Dental Crowns

When getting dental crowns, you must schedule two visits to the dentist.

During the first visit, your tooth is prepared for the dental crown, and the dentist may take x-rays to check the roots of the tooth needing the crown and the surrounding bone. If your tooth has extensive decay or the risk of injuries and infections to the tooth’s pulp exists, you may need a root canal.

You receive local anesthesia to numb the tooth and the surrounding gum tissue around it. After that, the tooth needing the crown is reshaped along the chewing surface and the sides to accommodate the crown. The tooth structure removed depends on the type of crown you choose. On the other hand, if a significant portion of the tooth structure is missing due to decay or damage, the dentist uses a filling material to build up the tooth to support the restoration.

After reshaping your tooth, the dentist takes impressions of it either through putty or a digital scanner. Images of the teeth in the opposite jaw above or below the tooth needing the crown are also taken to ensure the crown does not affect your bite.

The impressions or scans are sent to a dental laboratory to fabricate your dental crown. The lab needs almost two to three weeks to fabricate the crown. You receive a temporary crown over the prepared tooth while the laboratory manufactures your permanent crown.

During your second visit, the dentist removes the temporary crowns and checks the second color of the permanent restoration. If everything is acceptable to receive local anesthesia again to numb the tooth, and the permanent crown is bonded in place.

Does a Crowned Tooth Require Special Attention?

You will express happiness when looking at dental crowns before and after results and worry whether the crowns need special attention. However, it would be best if you remembered that a crowned tooth continues to remain susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease. Therefore, you must maintain good oral hygiene practices and avoid habits like opening packages with your teeth, biting your fingernails, chewing on ice, or clenching and grinding your teeth. These habits will likely send you to the emergency dentist in Tampa for treatments.

Dr. Allan Fallah recommends you continue following good oral hygiene habits, including brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing at least once, particularly around the crown area where the gum meets the tooth, and rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash at least once every day.

If you take proper care of dental crowns, they can last you between five to 15 years. The lifespan of the crown depends on how much wear and tear it is subjected to and how well you follow your oral hygiene regimen. After investing approximately $ 1700 for a dental crown, you may as well take appropriate care of it to ensure you don’t need replacements often and make every attempt to prolong its life span as best possible.