Crowns

What are Crowns?

Crowns are dental prosthetics created to repair teeth and keep them protected. Crowns are secured to an individual’s teeth with a durable bonding adhesive and they are also used to top dental implants. Crowns are intended to be permanent, so if a repair or replacement is needed patients would have to go to the dentist. They are designed to be a cosmetically appealling replacement for a tooth. A crown can go over the top of a tooth which has been damaged trauma or an accident, or it can cover a decayed tooth. These dental devices shield teeth from further harm and can improve the look of the teeth if one has been cracked, stained, broken, or chipped. In addition, crowns are often employed with dental implants as a natural looking prosthetic for a lost tooth. When made of porcelain, crowns can also be tinted to match the shade of the teeth next to it. These types of crowns are usually preferred.

Why are Crowns Applied? 

Crowns are employed to:

• Shield a weakened tooth
• Mount a dental implant
• Correct a discolored or misshapen tooth
• Cap a tooth which has had a root canal
• Substitute a large filling
• Secure a bridge

Though crowns are meant to last a lifetime when correctly cared for, they can become damaged, loose, or fall off. If this occurs, the dentist can easily repair or replace the affected crown during a visit to the office.

What Types of Porcelain Crowns Are Available?

Ordinarily, porcelain crowns come in two types— porcelain-fused-to-metal and all-porcelain crowns.

• Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns are made to look similar to a person’s original tooth and can be tinted to match the adjacent teeth. This type of crown may cause additional wearing on chewing surfaces of the opposite tooth. In some instances, patients will be able to see a grey line surrounding the bottom of the tooth at the gum line where the metal in the crown is poking through.
• All-porcelain crowns provide the most natural looking results, but are slightly less stong than the porcelain fused to metal variety. All-porcelain crowns will still wear on the chewing surfaces of the opposite tooth but not as considerably. These forms of crown are typically best for the front teeth.