07 Feb 2017 admin

Dental Crowns – A Few Facts

Dental crowns are an
excellent way to get a beautiful smile. A dental crown is a cap shaped like a
tooth. It covers a tooth to improve its appearance or to restore its strength,
shape and size. The cap covers the visible part of the tooth, and it is almost
impossible to detect.

Why is
it a dental crown?

Your tooth consists of two parts – the crown and the root. The
root of the tooth is the part that your gum and bone covers. The clinical crown
is the part of the tooth that is visible. When a tooth has damage, a cap may be
in order to repair the damage. The cap that covers a clinical crown is a dental
crown.

You
might need a dental crown if…

  • Your tooth
    requires a large filling because of a cavity or crack that is at least
    half the size of the tooth. A crown will help support the tooth against
    stress and cracks around the large filling.
  • You had a root canal, which means the tooth is now
    hollow and prone to cracking. A root canal tooth always needs dental crown
    support to prevent it from cracking.
  • You have pain when
    chewing because of cracked tooth syndrome. This condition causes pain when
    chewing because it produces stress on fracture lines. A dental crown
    supports the tooth and correctly redistributes stress throughout the
    tooth. The dentist will start with a temporary dental crown, just to make
    sure the pain stops.
  • Your teeth are
    unattractive. A dental crown can change the shape or color of a tooth,
    making it appear more attractive but natural. Large gaps or spaces between
    the teeth are repairable with a dental crown as well.

A dental crown may prove beneficial in several cases. The ones
listed above are the most common.

A dental crown covers your tooth and does not replace the tooth.
That means you must still practice good hygiene. The dental crown does not
protect the underlying tooth from gum disease or decay. It is advisable to
regularly brush and floss, paying close attention to the crown area.

Would you like to know if a dental crown is right for you? Contact the dentists at Dr. Aki Shirakura &
Associates for a
consultation.

 

 
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27 Dec 2013 admin

Crowns are synthetic caps, usually made of a material like porcelain, placed on the top of a tooth.

Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth’s function and appearance following a restorative procedure such as a root canal. When decay in a tooth has become so advanced that large portions of the tooth must be removed, crowns are often used to restore the tooth.

Crowns are also used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or an existing filling is in jeopardy of becoming loose or dislocated. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use, and are applied when a discolored or stained tooth needs to be restored to its natural appearance.

Procedures

A tooth must usually be reduced in size to accommodate a crown. A cast is made of the existing tooth and an impression is made. The impression is sent to a special lab, which manufactures a custom-designed crown. In some cases, a temporary crown is applied until the permanent crown is ready. Permanent crowns are cemented in place.

Crowns are sometimes confused with veneers, but they are quite different. Veneers are typically applied only to relatively small areas.

Caring For Your Crowns

With proper care, a good quality crown could last up to eight years or longer. It is very important to floss in the area of the crown to avoid excess plaque or collection of debris around the restoration.

Certain behaviors such as jaw clenching or bruxism (teeth grinding) significantly shorten the life of a crown. Moreover, eating brittle foods, ice or hard candy can compromise the adhesion of the crown, or even damage the crown.

 
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