Dental imperfections like fractures, discolorations, and even gaps can negatively affect the appeal of your smile. Fortunately, you can correct dental problems with restorations like crowns. Dental crowns are custom caps that fit over your teeth to repair damage. Crowns restore the shape and size of your teeth, protect them from further damage, and enhance appearance.
Why Choose a Dental Crown?
Teeth can become damaged over time from decay, injury, and regular use. Grinding or bruxism can also change the size and shape of teeth. Here are some additional reasons you may need a crown:
- Cavities that are too big for fillings
- To secure bridges for missing teeth
- Cracked, broken, or worn down teeth
- To cover dental implants
- To protect and strengthen a tooth after a root canal treatment
- Repair deep discoloration
If you’ve any of the above issues, crowns can help you achieve your smile goals. Not only do crowns restore the functionality of your teeth and enhance your smile, but they also have a better success rate than other restorative treatments such as inlays and onlays.
What Type of Crowns Are There?
Dental crowns come in various materials ranging from metals like gold and silver to tooth-colored porcelain. Some of the common materials used for crowns include:
1. Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal
Porcelain fused to metal crowns consist of a metal base covered with porcelain. The porcelain can easily match the look of your natural teeth. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns are perfect for both front and back teeth or long bridges that require a strong metal base for support.
2. Ceramic and Porcelain Crowns
Both ceramic and porcelain crowns are great for cosmetic purposes as they match your natural tooth color, making them ideal for front teeth. Other than aesthetics, they are also strong, durable, and perfect for people with metal allergies.
3. Metal Crowns
Metal crowns come in various forms, including copper, gold, or silver alloys. They are highly durable as they don’t chip or break and do not wear away adjacent teeth. However, the metal colors can interfere with the appeal of your smile and are best used on back molars.
What are the Benefits of Same Day Crown?
Permanent crowns, are made at the lab or in your dentist’s office using CEREC technology. They consist of highly durable material and act as final tooth restorations. Same Day Crowns can benefit almost anyone needing a ceramic restoration.
Advantages associated with Same Day Crowns include:
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No temporary restorations
High-quality ceramic products
Minimal invasiveness
Less injections and discomfort
Fewer dental visits
Cost effectiveness
More natural tooth is saved
Long lasting restorations
Biocompatible solutions
The Steps of Receiving a Crown
The first step in the procedure is preparing the tooth for the restoration. Using CEREC® Omnicam, the dentist will take several images of the tooth, sending a three-dimensional, colored model to the CEREC® machine.
These images are transposed onto the computer screen, where the dentist will view the tooth from every angle and design the final restoration. When the design is complete, it will be transmitted to the milling unit.
The dentist will insert a block of ceramic, matching your tooth color, into the milling machine which will then create the full crown, onlay, inlay, or veneer. Before affixing the restoration to the tooth, the dentist will perform a dry fit to ensure comfort. Once a perfect fit is established, the restoration will be polished and affixed to the tooth with dental cement.
How to Care for Your Crown
Dental crowns don’t require any special treatment. Take care of your crowns by practicing proper hygiene, which involves brushing and flossing daily, and going for regular dental checkups. Note that crowns are subject to normal wear and tear, and you may have to replace them after some time. However, with proper care and maintenance, dental crowns can last you for up to 15 years.
The cost of your crown will depend on the type of material used and your insurance. Most plans will only cover part of the cost, so be sure to discuss everything with your dentist before treatment.