Sorry, but if your dentist says you need a crown, he’s probably not telling you he has nominated you for prom queen. More likely he is telling you one of your teeth has become unstable and is in need of a dental crown. But if you like, feel free to wear a prom dress for your procedure and we will gladly refer to it as a “coronation”.
6 Reasons You Might Need a Dental Crown
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over an unstable or unsightly tooth to restore its shape, size, strength, stability or to improve its appearance. A crown, when cemented into place, fully encases the visible portion of a tooth. So why would you need a crown?
1. Because decay has caused such a large cavity in one of your teeth that once the decay is cleared out, too much of the tooth is missing to just fill with a composite filling.
2. You might need a crown if you have a tooth that has split or fractured. Often the symptom of this condition is a shock of pain that shoots through the tooth. A crown will give full coverage support and will stabilize the situation.
3. At times a root canal can weaken a tooth to the point it needs the protection and strengthening a crown can provide.
4. If you have a tooth with a piece broken off, a crown can repair the damage.
5. Folks with bruxism, meaning they grind their teeth, have often ground their teeth down so much that building the teeth up and then crowning them is the only way to restore the teeth to their original shape and size.
6. Sometimes a crown placed in the past has discolored or is damaged, and needs to be replaced. (The newer porcelain materials are much less likely to discolor and are significantly stronger than the porcelain materials in the past.) Also if there is decay underneath a previously placed crown, it needs to be cleaned out and a new crown placed.
What Happens When a Tooth Gets Crowned?
First your dentist will need to prepare the tooth to be crowned. That means removing any decay or reshaping the tooth to receive the new crown. Once any decay has been removed and cavities have been filled with composite, your dentist will take an impression to send to the lab. Then he will place a temporary crown which is made of white composite and then attach it with temporary cement.
Making a crown from porcelain requires an artistic touch in order to match color and shape and usually takes about three weeks to complete. The temporary crown protects the tooth and holds it in place while permanent crown is being made. Once the permanent porcelain crown has been made and returned by the lab, you will return to your dentist to have the temporary crown removed and the porcelain crown placed with a permanent cement.
After the “Coronation”
After you have had a crown placed you can just floss and brush as you normally would. Although a porcelain crown won’t decay like a natural tooth, it is still very important to continue to care for your crowned tooth. This is because decay can still occur under the crown, especially if you fail to floss. Your dentist might also fit you for a night guard to protect your new crown, especially if you tend to grind your teeth.
Shooting pain may indicate a cracked tooth in need of a crown.
Let us take a look and provide the treatment you need!