A dental crown is a covering that covers of your entire tooth. Normally a crown will be placed on a tooth to strengthen a tooth that has been structurally compromised. This includes teeth that have; had a root canal treatment very large white resin fillings that keep breaking very large fillings where food is getting caught between the teeth to replace an existing crown that has decay under it to replace an existing crown to improve the look to replace an existing crown to improve the fit and the gum health to improve to look of a tooth that has turned dark from root canal treatment Crowns can also be placed on implants to replace missing teeth. The Navasota Dental, Tx that is conveniently located near 413 N Lsalle St, Navasota is the low cost dental office by me.
What are crowns made from?
There are several options for dental crowns, each option has pros and cons
Pressed All Ceramic: these are the most common. They can be 'bonded' strongly onto your tooth, they generally look the nicest too because they can mimic the 'lifelike' transulcency of natural teeth. They can be one colour with surface staining, or layered with different colours of ceramic
Zirconia Ceramic: These are very strong. They can be layered with different colours of ceramic as well.
Gold: Believe it or not gold is actually the best material for crowns! The gold can be very thin (which means less shaving of your tooth), and they fit the teeth very well. They are very strong so are great for people who clench and grind their teeth. Because of the colour, most people opt for back teeth only...
Porcelain fused to metal: these were very popular prior to the newer all ceramic and zirconia crowns. They consisted of a substructure of metal, and then veneered with ceramic over the top. These are very strong, however the veneering ceramic is prone to breaking, and due to the dark metal underneath having to be masked it makes the white ceramic over the top appear lifeless. Above, dental crown and shaved down natural tooth
Will my crown last forever?
Maybe! How long a crown lasts depends on lots of factors. Usually a crown is provided to help out an underlying tooth that has already been structurally compromised with lots of fillings or a root canal. So the starting foundation is not strong. Always remember that there is nothing stronger than your natural teeth, and if they didn't last forever it's unlikely anything else will!
- Some things that help keep your underlying tooth, and crown for longer are;
- regular maintenance and x-rays (to help see what's going on under the crown)
- avoiding very hard and sticky foods like Minties, toffies, bones etc
- keeping your mouth extra clean with tooth brushing and cleaning between your teeth with floss or brushes
- wearing a night guard if you clench or grind your teeth
- avoiding frequent exposure to acids (see our pH series videos) that can rot your underlying teeth
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