What are Dental Crowns and Caps & When Would I Need One?
WHAT IS A CROWN?
A crown, oftentimes called a cap, is a tooth-shaped restoration that covers a tooth or an artificial tooth root, called an implant. Crowns can be used in several situations:
When covering a misshaped, damaged, or unsightly tooth.
When providing a hard outer shield to strengthen a tooth that has been weakened due to a large filling or a root canal.
When mounted on top of a dental implant
When filling a space left by a missing tooth
on either side of a fake tooth to support a bridge.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT MATERIAL
A crown can be made to look akin to the tooth it is replacing. Often, a crown is made with a tooth-colored material that matches your other teeth. Tooth-colored crowns can be made from a variety of materials: ceramic, porcelain, or composite resin. In some cases, a metal crown will be best. Metallic crowns can be made from gold. More commonly on children silver-colored metals are chosen like stainless steel or nickel. Dr. Chamberlain can talk about the type of material that will be best for your situation. Some factors he takes into consideration when selecting a crown includes the location of the crown and how much of it will show when you smile. Durability of the material is also a concern. For example, crowns in the back receive a lot more wear and tear than the teeth you see when you smile. Selecting a material that best suits your smile and long-term care are especially important when considering what material to select for your crown. You may also want talk about insurance coverage with Elevation Family Dental’s staff. Some of these materials are more expensive than others.
PLACING A CROWN
Some crowns come pre-shaped like the ones placed on children and can be placed in 1 appointment. Others, like those made of porcelain and metals, require 2 or more appointments to complete treatment. For example, when the crown is covering a natural tooth, Dr. Chamberlain will need to prepare the tooth that will serve as the foundation. That tooth may need to have a portion removed, or it may need to be built up with a filling so that the crown will fit snug and in line with the other teeth.
Once the tooth is prepared for the crown, Dr. Chamberlain will take an impression. Most often, he will use a mouth-shaped tray full of a thick puddy that quickly turns to a rubbery solid. He will place the tray in your mouth to replicate you mouth in a lab to facilitate making your crown.
If often take a couple of weeks to make a custom crown once your impression has been taken. To protect your mouth during this time, Dr. Chamberlain will make a temporary crown. This crown will protect your tooth for that time. Because your temporary crown is placed with a temporary cement and because your tooth has been worked on you may experience sensitivity to heat and cold. It is best to avoid chewing gum and sticky foods while you have the temporary crown to help it stay in place. Most patients have little to no difficulty with temporary crowns for the two-week period, but most feel much better once the final crown has been placed with a more permanent cement.
CONCLUSION
Crowns are restorations that look like your own teeth and are made to fit over your prepared tooth or a dental implant. Crowns can be used to repair teeth that are unsightly, damaged, or compromised because of large fillings or root canal treatment. Crowns can also be fixed on an artificial tooth root, called an implant, to fill the space left by a missing tooth, or they can be anchored on each side of a space to form a bridge. Crowns can be fabricated out of tooth-colored materials or metals. Considerations like appearance, durability, and cost might influence which material is selected for your crown.
