Crowns
Your dentist at C & S Family Dental may recommend a dental crown for restorative purposes or you might request one yourself to improve the appearance of your smile. When your dentist recommends a crown, it’s typically to preserve as much of the tooth as possible and avoid distraction. We outline some of the most common causes for needing a dental crown below.
Reasons for Needing a Tooth Crown
One of the most common reasons that patients request a dental crown for cosmetic purposes is that they have one or more teeth with severe staining or discoloration. Although professional teeth whitening is usually enough to remove the staining, some people have deeply set stains that don’t respond to this treatment either. Placing a dental crown over the affected tooth helps to disguise the staining and improve your overall aesthetics.
If you no longer have one of your natural teeth or have several consecutive teeth missing from the same arch, your dentist can replace them by using a dental bridge. This attaches to the back of the teeth on each side of the missing tooth to hold the artificial tooth replacement in place. You could also need a dental crown to help support the bridge if the adjacent teeth don’t have enough strength of their own to hold the bridge in place.
Endodontists often place a crown on a tooth immediately following a root canal to prevent further infection and decay. Finally, a crown helps to preserve a tooth with a chip or crack as well as disguise the issue from others. Occasionally, a patient with minor tooth misalignment may choose to receive one or more crowns instead of undergoing orthodontic treatment.
What to Expect When You Receive a Dental Crown
It typically requires two appointments for your dentist to successfully place a crown. Your dentist will assess your tooth during the first appointment to determine if it’s necessary to remove a portion of it to ensure a proper fit of the crown. This allows the crown to fit snugly over the tooth and remain permanently in place. You will have tooth enamel removed during your first appointment if required.
Your new dental crown will fit completely over the portion of your tooth visible above the gum line. To ensure your crown fits well, your dentist will take an impression of the affected tooth. Our laboratory technicians use this information to create your new custom restoration. If your tooth is too weak to support a crown, your dentist will discuss other restorative or cosmetic dentistry options with you.
A member of our staff will contact you to schedule the second appointment when the laboratory returns your customized crown. Your dentist will remove the temporary crown you received at the first appointment and place the permanent one using a dental laser. He or she may also need to trim excess molding from your tooth to create the final shape for the crown. Once the crown is secure, our staff will provide you with long-term care instructions as well as how to manage any discomfort for a few days after the procedure.