Crowns are the most effective dental solutions for covering a tooth to enhance its shape, size, strength and to improve its appearance.Not brushing your teeth and skipping regular dental visits can make your teeth susceptible to rot. Eating hard candy and other such factors can hurt the health of your teeth. Crowns are a common solution to such problems.

Dentists might recommend crowns for:

• Covering teeth that are discolored
• Protecting decaying teeth
• Restoring broken teeth
• Holding a dental bridge in place

Permanent crowns are made in a dental laboratory and are made from a variety of materials:

• Metal (gold, nickel or chromium)
• Porcelain fused to metal
• All porcelain or all ceramic
• Resin (durable plastic)

“Which crown is right for me?

Metal crowns require less tooth structure to be removed but are less attractive, porcelain is less noticeable but may not last as long as metal or resin. While there are many options we will recommend the right crown for you based on what teeth need crowns.

Dental Crown Procedure:

Crowns are usually completed in two dental visits.

During the first visit we will take x-rays to determine the extent of tooth decay or damage. Sometimes a root canal might be needed to handle severe damage. We will then reshape the chewing surface and sides of the tooth to prepare for the crown. Next an impression is made of the prepared tooth and surrounding tooth. Finally a temporary crown is placed on the tooth to cover it while the permanent crown is being made.

The actual crown is placed on the tooth on in about a week or two weeks when the crown is fabricated in our in-house laboratory.

“How do I take care of crowns?”

Crowns do not make your teeth invincible to tooth decay. You still need to brush regularly, eat a well balanced diet and see us on a regular basis. Using your teeth as an opening device, chewing on ice, pencils or hard candy and grinding your teeth can all deteriorate the life of your crown. When your teeth are properly taken care of your crown should last 5-15 years or longer.

Any questions?

Ask Stephen E. Stein
D.D.S., P.A.