There are many reasons we may suggest a crown on your tooth.
- If the tooth is cracked
- If the present filling is so large that you are at an increased risk for breakage
- If the tooth is physically worn
- The tooth is esthetically displeasing, discolored or malformed in shape
- To restore a new bite relationship
- Endodontically treated back teeth are incredibly susceptible to breakage and we always recommend crowns in these situations. With the loss of nerve and blood supply teeth become brittle and the amount of tooth structure remaining after a root canal needs to be protected.
Preparing your tooth or teeth for a crown usually requires two dental visits. At the first appointment, your crown prep will be completed, a final impression or mould will be taken and a temporary crown will be placed. At the second appointment you will get your crown(s) delivered and placed with permanent dental cement.
While waiting for your permanent crown to be fabricated, you have to be cautious with the temporary crown. Avoid sticky foods that can pull the crown off and try not to floss aggressively around the temporary. These temporaries are meant to come off easily so we can take them off and put on your permanent tooth when it arrives. It’s also important to avoid hard foods as they can fracture the acrylic temporary material.
Permanent crowns can be made of metal, all porcelain ceramic, or a combination of porcelain fused to metal. The strongest ones are the metal and porcelain fused to metal, but the all-ceramic type are the most esthetically pleasing. The metal crowns are usually made from gold but the porcelain crowns can be color matched to the adjacent teeth.
Gold crowns require the least amount of tooth reduction but we always make patients aware that this will be visible to others. For this reason most patient prefer porcelain fused to metal crown or all porcelain crowns.
All-ceramic crowns or veneers are the best choice for front teeth. The esthetics of these restorations are the most tooth like and the most life like.
Sometimes after the anesthetic wears off from your first visit you may experience some hot cold sensitivity. This is normal with a temporary as it is not custom fit to your tooth like your permanent tooth will be. Often this minor discomfort goes away after a few days but if it feels like it is getting progressively worse then please let us know so we can evaluate the cause.
Depending on oral hygiene, clenching, grinding habits and recession your crown may last anywhere from 5 years to a lifetime. It’s incredibly patient specific but the most important thing is to practice good home care, brush twice a day, floss, and come in for regular check ups because it’s still possible to get cavities underneath a crowned tooth.