What is a Dental Crown?
A crown (often called a cap) covers the tooth and restores it to an ideal shape, size, and color. Modern crowns are extremely durable and are designed to prevent a tooth from fracturing or breaking down any further. Crowns enable you to keep your natural teeth much longer because they are protected from further damage. Crowns are also a great way to significantly improve the cosmetics of front teeth and back teeth that have previously been treated with fillings that are now unsightly and/or are breaking down.
Why are Crowns Needed?
- Badly decayed teeth that can’t be repaired with a conventional filling
- Fractured or worn teeth
- Need to protect and strengthen teeth
- Need to improve esthetics
- Desire to fix crooked teeth without having braces
- To Stabilize a tooth that has an existing larger conventional filling that is at risk of fracture.
- To prevent the propagation of a serious crack before the tooth must be removed
How do Dental Crowns Prevent Further Cracking and Fracture?
When a serious crack is caught early, a crown will prevent the spread of the crack down the root of the tooth by holding the tooth together so it can’t split any further. If a crown is not placed over the tooth in time, the crack can propagate further down the root of the tooth making it unrepairable. Teeth that suffer cracks through the root can be extremely painful and the only treatment is to replace them with either a bridge or an implant.
What are Crowns Made Of?
Dr. Tatarin uses only the latest, safest, and most durable materials currently available. All the crowns we deliver to patients are 100% mercury, metal, and fluoride free. We use either Zirconium Dioxide or Lithium Disilicate two aesthetic metal-free materials. Below is a photo of two Zirconium Dioxide Metal-Free Solid Ceramic Crowns. They are gorgeous, metal free, and extremely durable.
What is the Process to Protect a Tooth With a Crown?
Dr. Tatarin will gently numb the area he is working. He will first remove the existing restorations (material) in the tooth as well as any decay. After the old material and decay is removed he will build the tooth back up with a resin based material. This material adds the bulk of the tooth back which was lost previously. The tooth is then shaped to receive the crown. After the tooth is shaped an impression is taken and a temporary crown is made. The patient will return 2-3 weeks later to have the permanent crown seated.
