Dental Crowns
When a tooth needs a restoration or you want to improve your smile, sometimes the best choice is a porcelain crown. A porcelain crown is precision-crafted in a dental laboratory, so it may take two or more appointments to restore your tooth with a porcelain crown.
How does root canal therapy affect a tooth?
Root canal therapy leaves a tooth brittle and weak. The inner pulp of a tooth contains its nerves and blood vessels, so the tooth loses much of its blood supply when the infected pulp is removed and the tooth’s root canals are cleaned out. The tooth is weaker also because only the sides of the tooth are left for support when the center of the tooth is gone.
These factors make it much easier for a tooth to break when you bite down on food. Biting and chewing place a tremendous amount of force on teeth, and weak, brittle teeth are especially vulnerable.
A crown protects the tooth
A crown can prevent these problems by covering and protecting the tooth and restoring its strength and shape.
When a tooth needs a restoration or you want to improve your smile, sometimes the best choice is a porcelain crown. A porcelain crown is precision-crafted in a dental laboratory, so it may take two or more appointments to restore your tooth with a porcelain crown.
On your first visit, we numb the area to make you comfortable. We may also use a rubber dam to protect your mouth and the back of your throat while we work.
Using the handpiece, we remove any decay and shape the tooth, so it will securely hold the crown. Next we take an impression of your teeth. The dental lab uses the impression to make an accurate model of you mouth, then they use the model to create a crown that exactly fits your tooth and bite. In the meantime, we often place a temporary crown to protect your tooth.
On your next visit, we remove the temporary crown and try in your new porcelain crown. We check the fit, and when everything is right, we bond or cement the crown in place.
A porcelain crown has several benefits. Like all crowns, it covers and protects your tooth. But in addition, a porcelain crown is
When a tooth has a large cavity, the best treatment is often to protect the tooth with a crown instead of placing a filling. A filling may weaken the tooth, while a crown covers and protects it.
Placing a filling can weaken the tooth because first the decay must be removed, and then the remaining tooth structure must be shaped to hold the filling.
With small fillings, this process may leave enough structure to support the tooth. However, when a large portion of your tooth has been damaged by decay, we need to remove a significant amount of the tooth in order to remove all of the decay.
Placing a large filling can leave your tooth without much of its natural structure, so it also loses much of its support and strength. As a result, the tooth can easily fracture, or a portion of it can break away entirely.
Placing a crown can prevent these problems. A crown covers and protects the tooth. It seals out plaque and bacteria and restores the strength and shape of the tooth.
When we evaluate the cavity in your tooth, we consider both the size of the cavity and the amount of healthy tooth structure that remains. To determine if a crown is right for you, we perform a thorough examination.
There are several kinds of crowns, including those made from gold, porcelain fused to metal base, or porcelain. Together, we will decide which kind of crown is best for your situation.