Crowns
Dentures for Tooth Replacement
A great smile just happens to be the result of healthy, attractive teeth. Cracked, damaged, or stained teeth not only detract from your smile, but they can also adversely affect your health. To restore your smile and maintain your oral health crowns may be your solution.
What Are Dental Crowns?
Crowns are synthetic caps, usually made of a material like porcelain, placed on the top of a tooth. Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth’s function and appearance following a restorative procedure such as a root canal. When decay in a tooth has become so advanced that large portions of the tooth must be removed, crowns are often used to restore the tooth.
Why Are Dental Crowns Used?
Crowns are used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or an existing filling is in jeopardy of becoming loose or dislocated. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use and are applied when a discolored or stained tooth needs to be restored to its natural appearance.
A crown is a restoration that covers, or caps a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size. It’s purpose is to strengthen or improve the appearance of a tooth. Crowns are placed for a variety of reasons.
Crowns can:
- Restore teeth that fillings can not
- Attach bridges
- Protect weak teeth from fracturing
- Restore fractured teeth
- Cover badly shaped or discolored teeth
- Cover dental implants
Which Material Is Best?
What are Crowns Made From?
Crowns are made from a number of materials. Gold alloys or non-precious alloys, porcelain or ceramic, composite resin, or combinations of these materials may be used. Full metal crowns are stronger but not aesthetically pleasing; porcelain crowns are not as strong as full metal crowns. Crowns made entirely of porcelain may look better, and they are stronger than they used to be, but still are not as strong as the other materials. In the process of making a crown, the material is colored to blend in with your natural teeth. It is important to consult with your dentist as to which crown materials are best for your specific situation.
How Do I Take Care of My Crowns?
When you have crowns, it is especially important to brush twice a day and clean between your teeth daily with floss or other inter-dental cleaners. Brushing and flossing remove a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. Be sure to remove plaque from the area where the gum meets the tooth. When plaque accumulates in the sulcus, it can cause dental decay or gum disease. To prevent damaging or fracturing the crowns, avoid chewing hard foods, ice, or other hard objects. It also is important to visit your dentist regularly.
How Is a Crown Placed
What Will the Finished Crown Look Like?
Your dentist’s main goal is to create crowns that look like natural teeth and feel comfortable. To achieve this, a number of factors are considered. These include the color, occlusion or “bite”, shape and length of both your natural teeth and your artificial crown. Any of these factors alone can significantly affect your appearance.
Although your dentist may be able to accommodate your request for a particular aesthetic effect, your first choice may not be possible due to technical limitations or oral health concerns. If you have a certain look in mind for your crown, discuss it with your dentist at your initial visit. When the procedure is complete, your teeth may not only be stronger they may be the most attractive feature of your face. When you need a complete smile again, give us a call and schedule an appointment. Please contact one of our offices in Irwin, Greentree, West Mifflin or Pleasant Hills, PA!