Reasons When A Dental Crown Becomes Necessary

You have an extensively damaged tooth from decay that dentists cannot restore with a dental filling. You prepare yourself to have the tooth extracted and search for replacement options for it. However, the dentist asks you to reconsider and offers dental crowns or tooth caps to claim suitable placements over the damaged tooth.

Dental crowns are appropriate to restore damaged teeth for various reasons. You may have tooth decay, injuries, or worn-out teeth that have lost their shape and size. The teeth are comfortably restored with dental crowns fitted like a snug hat over the tooth. Dental crowns can restore the tooth’s shape, strength, size, and appearance. The restoration is cemented over the tooth to cover the visible portion.

What Are The Reasons When Dental Crowns Become Necessary?

Dental crowns become necessary due to various reasons. Some of them are mentioned below for your understanding:

• Crowns can protect a weak tooth from breaking or keep it together if parts of the tooth are already broken.
• The tooth caps can restore a broken tooth or a severely worn down tooth.
• Crowns can cover and support a tooth with large fillings without sufficient tooth structure remaining.
• Dental crowns are useful for holding a dental bridge in place, covering a dental implant, or a tooth treated with root canal therapy.
• Crowns are also beneficial to cover discolored or misshapen teeth.

Suppose you are undergoing a full mouth reconstruction procedure to rebuild damaged or restore your teeth. In that case, the treatment often involves many dental therapies to address the damage to your teeth and gums. You can have full mouth crowns if most of your teeth need restorations to improve your ability to chew and speak normally.

What Are Tooth Caps Made of?

If you need dental crowns, you can have them customized for your teeth with different types of materials. You can have crown tooth material from metal, porcelain fused to metal, all-ceramic or all-porcelain, all resin or pressed ceramic. You can discuss the crown material with your dentist, who considers the tooth’s location, the color of your surrounding teeth, and various other factors before recommending the most appropriate solution for your restoration.

What Is the Crown Dental Procedure?

You require at least two visits to the dentist in Okemos when preparing for the dental crown. You can even have a dental crown fabricated in the dentist’s office if you are willing to pay higher prices for the same.

During your first visit, the tooth receiving the crown is examined by taking x-rays of the tooth and bone surrounding it. The tooth receiving the crown is filed across the top and sides. The filing is to accommodate your new restoration, and the extent of the filing depends on the type of crown you have chosen. After accomplishing the filing process, the dentist takes an impression of the tooth receiving the crown. Impressions of the opposing teeth are also taken to ensure the crown does not affect your bite. The images are for the dental laboratory to customize your restoration.

The dental lab requires two to three weeks to fabricate the crown, after which they send it back to the dentist’s office. In the meanwhile, you will have temporary crowns over the prepared tooth for protection.

You must schedule another appointment with the dentist to complete the crown dental procedure. During your second visit, the dentist removes the temporary crown and places the permanent crown over the tooth. If the restoration is appropriate as desired, the crown is permanently cemented over the prepared tooth.

Do Dental Crowns Need Special Attention?

A crowned tooth requires no special attention. However, you must protect the underlying tooth structure from decay or gum disease. If you intend to succeed in protecting your tooth, you must continue following acceptable oral hygiene practices. It includes brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing at least once daily around the crown area where it meets the gums close to your tooth. You must also avoid biting on hard foods if you have porcelain crowns on your tooth.

What Is A Life Span of Dental Crowns?

Dental crowns can last for between five to 15 years. These restorations’ lifespan depends on the extent of wear and tear it is exposed to and the oral hygiene practices you follow. Your restoration may not last its lifespan if you frequently chew on ice, bite your fingernails, grind or clench your teeth, and use your teeth as package openers.

If you stay away from detrimental mouth-related habits and maintain proper oral hygiene, you can expect the dental crowns to remain with you for their lifespan.