Restoring Your Smile With Dental Crowns
A dental crown, also known as a cap, is a dental restoration that covers (or 'caps') a tooth to restore its shape, size and colour.
Dental crowns can help to improve the strength, function, and appearance of a damaged or decayed tooth that would otherwise need to be extracted and replaced.
Additionally, dental crowns can be used for cosmetic reasons, such as to cover an uneven or discoloured tooth and improve the overall appearance of your smile.
Crowns are quite strong due to the fact that they are often made of porcelain, a material that protects and strengthens the remaining tooth structure.
What to Expect During the Dental Crown Procedure
You will need to visit your dentist twice in order to complete the dental crown process. Once your dentist determines you need a crown, here's what you can expect at each appointment.
Your Initial Appointment
In order to prepare for a crown, you dentist will perform a complete examination and prepare your tooth for the restoration.
To prepare the tooth, your dentist will file down and remove part of the outer layer of the tooth. Next, they will take an impression of the trimmed tooth and the surrounding teeth, and place a temporary crown over the tooth to protect it. The temporary crown is placed using temporary cement so that it can come off easily when the permanent crown is ready.
Your dental office will send your unique tooth impression to a dental laboratory to make your permanent crown, which may take several weeks.
Using your impression, the laboratory technician is able to examine all aspects of your bite and jaw movements and sculpt a crown just for you. Your dentist will also be sure to determine the shade of your teeth to help the technician make a crown that will match the colour of the rest of your teeth.
The Final Fitting
Once your new crown has been created, you can return to our office where we will permanently bond it to your tooth. During this visit, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and place the permanent crown on your tooth.
The permanent crown is first placed on the tooth and inspected for acceptable fit, bite and smooth margins. After any necessary adjustments have been made, the crown is cemented with permanent cement or dental glue.
How You Should Care For Your New Dental Crown
Dental crowns have been known to last 10 to 20 years if cared for properly. They are still subject to damage, so it is important to take care in brushing and flossing around crowned teeth to prevent them from needing to be replaced too soon.