A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth. Its purpose is to restore the tooth’s natural shape, size, and strength and also to enhance its appearance. Once a dental crown has been cemented into place, it will fully encase the visible portion of your tooth.
At Auburn Family Dental, Dr. Marie Durflinger creates beautiful, life-like porcelain crowns to replace teeth that have been damaged or discolored. Porcelain crowns restore the natural beauty and luster to your smile. Read on to learn more about dental crowns as we answer the top questions our patients have about dental crowns.
Why do I need a crown?
- To protect a weak tooth: Large cavities or cracked teeth can leave your natural tooth weak and prone to further damage. A dental crown can be used to improve its strength for chewing and speaking.
- To restore a tooth that has had a root canal: Any time a root canal is necessary, you will likely need a dental crown as well. During a root canal, the nerve and blood supply to the tooth is removed, therefore you no longer have channels to supply the tooth with important nutrients. The diseased tooth will become brittle and easier to break. A dental crown is a great way to protect the tooth from breaking after a root canal procedure.
- To restore a broken tooth: If you break a portion of your tooth off, a crown is necessary to restore the tooth’s natural shape and size.
- To cover and support a tooth with a large filling: If you have a large filling and little tooth structure is remaining, a dental crown is needed to protect the tooth from breaking.
- To cover misshapen or discolored teeth: Crowns can be used to reshape and hide stains.
- To cover a dental implant post: Once the healing process has completed following the post placement of your dental implant, a crown will need to be placed over the post to finalize the process and give you a structure to chew upon.
- To make a cosmetic enhancement to your tooth/teeth: Because a crown is made in a dental lab, there are many cosmetic modifications that can be made to the size, shape, and color.
What materials are dental crowns made from?
Crowns are made from many different materials including metals like stainless steel or gold, ceramics, and porcelain or a combination of both.
Stainless Steel: These crowns are used as a temporary or short-term solution. They are often used on children’s teeth because they will eventually fall out. These crowns do not provide a long lasting result and therefore are not widely used today.
Gold: Gold crowns are typically used on posterior teeth and provide a strong and long lasting solution.
Porcelain: Crowns made from porcelain are colored-matched to your natural tooth color and shape. They are strong enough to be used on molars and beautiful enough to be mistaken as your natural tooth in the anterior region. They are very life-like and also provide a long lasting permanent solution.
Porcelain-fused-to-metal: these crowns have a metal casing covered by porcelain. The metal base provides strength but can slightly tint the color of the porcelain giving it an unnatural look. These crowns are best for posterior teeth.
How long does it take to have a crown made?
Crowns typically take about two weeks and involve two appointments.
If you or a loved one have tooth pain or are unhappy with the appearance of one or more teeth, please contact Auburn Family Dental to schedule an appointment.