Dental Crowns: Know its Types and Procedure

A dental crown (also referred to as a “cap”) is a prosthetic same as the tooth color used by the dentist to mask a damaged tooth. If the major part of the tooth is missing, then the crown is the best solution for it. By placing the crown, a tooth can function normally again. Crowns are used to protect and restore the teeth shape when fillings don’t work out.

Why is a Dental Crown Needed?

Here is why you require you should get Dental Crowns In Braes Timbers Houston, TX:

• Restore or safeguard a damaged/weakened tooth after decay.
• Strengthen a filled tooth.
• Cover discolored, misshaped, or badly formed teeth.
• Hold together with a cracked tooth.
• To strengthen your tooth post-root canal especially the back chewing tooth.
• Cap over a dental implant.

Types of Dental Crowns

Below are the crown types:

• Porcelain Fused to Metal Dental Crown(PFM)

Made up of metal as the base, it provides strength as it is layered by the porcelain of tooth color for aesthetics improvement. In a way, a PFM crown gives the best of both worlds for strength and aesthetics, which means they are a suitable choice for either front or back teeth.

The drawback of the PFM crown is that over time (especially as the gums recede), the metal gets shown.

All- Ceramic Dental Crowns/E max/Lithium DiSilicate Dental Crowns

These are the types of all-porcelain crowns that contain lithium disilicate. All-ceramic crowns are the most natural-looking option for front teeth that provides excellent aesthetics.

They are also a good choice for patients who have allergies to particular metals used in other types of crowns. These are mostly preferred for the single cap in the front tooth as they may not be considered as an option for molars. It’s because biting forces can cause wearing down of teeth.

Metal Crowns

These are the strongest types of crowns. Metal crowns require the least tooth structure to be removed compared to other types of crowns, which offers the maximum strength and retentiveness to the tooth. The metal-based caps also chip/fracture/break very rarely, and even do not cause wearing of the teeth as they bite against.

Metal crowns strengthen the affected tooth and withstand biting and chewing forces very well. The disadvantage of these crowns is the metallic colour, which does not have the quality of a natural aesthetic appearance. However, the metal crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars.

Gold Crowns

Gold dental crowns are the expensive metal caps. They offer several advantages such as they are strong and resistant and only minimal tooth preparation is required. Being stronger, they last longer and do not wear/tear easily. But these crowns are very expensive.

What is involved in the Dental Crown Procedure?

​Dentist in Southwest, Houston, TX typically takes two visits to complete the procedure:

• The First Visit: Examining and Preparing the Tooth

Before commencing any preparation work for your crown, the dentist will perform an initial examination of your tooth and overall mouth, which may include taking x-rays. If there is extensive decay found in the tooth, or a risk of infection is diagnosed, you may require a root canal treatment first.

Next, the dental expert reshapes the tooth along the chewing surface and sides to make a space for the dental crown. After reshaping the tooth, an impression is made to create an exact model of your tooth. It’s manufactured from a mold or digital scanning of the tooth.

The dentist places a temporary crown to protect the patient’s affected tooth while the permanent crown is being created. Making the permanent crown usually takes less than 2 weeks. Temporary crowns usually are made of acrylic and are held in place using temporary cement. While having the temporary crown, it is important to avoid gum chewing and eating sticky foods to prevent the temporary crown from dislodging.

• Second Visit: Placement of Permanent Dental Crown

When the permanent crown is ready, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and check the fit and colour of it. Then, a local anesthetic will be used to numb the tooth and the new crown is permanently cemented in place.

Appropriate Care for Dental Crowns

After getting dental crown procedure, it is pivotal to care appropriately to ensure that they stay for a long time. Brushing, rinsing, and flossing should be followed on a daily basis, just like you clean your natural teeth.

Do visit your dentist every 6 months to ensure that your oral health is in the best care. Avoid sticky or chewy foods, which have the potential to grab and pull at the crown. Also, avoid chewing hard foods, which can dislodge or break the crow. ​Perform dental crowns near you Google search for a beautiful smile.