Dental Procedures | Prevention | Restoration | Cosmetic Dentistry

Crowns

When does a tooth need a crown?

• When a tooth breaks
• When a large filling breaks
• When a large filling develops decay underneath it
• When a molar or a bicuspid have had a root canal
• When a tooth has inadequate tooth structure to hold a filling

A crown completely covers the part of the tooth that you can see in your mouth. It protects a weak tooth from breaking again. Normally a crown is tooth colored (porcelain) with a metal material underneath the porcelain for strength. Crowns can also be made of just a metal material or high noble gold.

The crown procedure requires two office visits. At the first visit, the tooth structure of the tooth to be crowned is slightly reduced all the way around and on the chewing surface. An impression is then taken of the area where the crown will be seated. A temporary crown is made and cemented to protect the tooth while the crown will be seated.

The impressions taken at the first appointment are sent to a local dental lab. The lab technicians construct the crown according to the dentist's instructions to ensure that the crown will fit snugly over the prepared tooth.

At the second appointment, approximately two weeks later, the temporary crown is removed and the permanent crown is placed. The dentist, with his assistant, check the bite to be sure you are still biting correctly and will check the space between the crown and the teeth next to it with dental floss to assure that there is a good contact. When the dentist is happy with the fit of the crown and you, the patient are happy with how it feels and looks, the crown is permanently cemented. In some circumstances, the color of the crown isn't just right or the crown may not fit as well as the dentist would like for it to fit and it must be sent back to the lab for corrections. This adds no additional cost to the procedure, yet does require another appointment a few days later. We will not cement a crown that both the patient and/or the dentist is not happy with.

With the exception of not being able to drink hot liquids for one hour following the cementation appointment, a crown acts as a fully functioning tooth. Usually, a patient with a crown get so used to it that they can't tell the difference between their crowns and their natural teeth.

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