What To Know About Dental Crowns

Posted on: 16 January 2019

Dental crowns are used in many different restorative dental applications. Although crowns are commonly used, many people know little about the devices.

Here is some information about dental crowns and how they are used.

What Is a Dental Crown?

A dental crown is a device that helps to restore the visible part of a tooth. The crown can correct the size and shape of a tooth that has been damaged by trauma or decay, restoring the tooth's functionality and appearance.

When it is fabricated, it is customized to fit precisely over the designated tooth. Crowns may be made of several different substances, such as all-porcelain, gold, porcelain-over-metal, stainless steel, or resin.

What Applications Require the Use of Crown?

A dentist places a crown to reinforce teeth that are weak, cracked, broken or decayed. Additionally, the crowns are used to connect dental bridges to the abutment teeth, fixing the appliances in place.

Since crowns can be tooth-colored, a crown-based restoration can look quite natural. The color of a crown can even be matched to the color of the patient's other teeth.

How Does a Crown Protect a Tooth?

The crown fits on a tooth in a similar manner to the way that a glove fits on a hand. The crown fits over the natural crown of a tooth, protecting the tooth material that is beneath it.

To ensure that a crown remains in place even when it is exposed to significant bite pressure, the crown is cemented into position. Once the crown is bonded to the tooth, the underlying tooth is reinforced on all sides.

How Is a Dental Crown Placed?

Before installing a dental crown, the dentist applies a localized anesthetic to numb the designated tooth and the adjacent gingival tissues. The dentist then uses a drill to remove a bit of the outermost layer of the tooth material. With the size of the tooth reduced, there is usually enough space for the crown to be installed. Still, enough tooth material must remain to properly act as a foundation for the crown, or a specialized crown buildup must be added to the tooth to support the device.

After the tooth has been reduced, an impression of the tooth is created and sent to a dental lab, where the crown is fabricated. After a few weeks, the crown is sent back to the dental office to be cemented into place. A temporary crown is used until the permanent crown is ready.

For more information about dental crowns, schedule a consultation with a professional such as Gregory S Rutherford, DDS.

Share

When my three children were young, they were all excited to go to the dentist. The dentist's office was great fun with a large fish tank and a variety of puzzle toys in the waiting room. I liked the pediatric dental office so much that I jumped at the chance when I was offered a receptionist job. Many of the children who came to see the dentist were not nearly as happy as my children. Most kids were scared and anxious, and I learned fairly quickly that the children were worried because they had no idea what to expect. The dentist at the office provided me with a set of dental tools that I could show to the children. I explained how each of the devices worked. This eased the fears, and I started this blog so parents could share dental information with their children before dental visits.

Tags