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7 Easy steps to understanding dental crowns | Oroville, Ca.
DENTAL CROWNS ARE A VERY IMPORTANT OPTION TO HELP YOU FIX AND SAVE DAMAGED TEETH. If you have the goal of keeping all your teeth for a lifetime, then you will likely need a crown at some point in your journey. So lets walk through the 7 aspects of understanding dental crowns and how they can benefit you.
1. What is a dental crown?
A porcelain crown is a tooth shaped cap made of porcelain that covers an entire tooth. The crown helps hold a damaged tooth together so it can be used for chewing again. It also restores the beautiful appearance of the tooth.
2. Why could my tooth need a dental crown?
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A broken tooth or weak tooth
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A large area of tooth decay (cavity) in the tooth
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A cracked tooth that hurts to chew on
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Fractures developing on the outside of a tooth indicating that the tooth is starting to break apart
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Big fillings with tooth fractures extending from the edges of the filling
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A poorly shaped or colored tooth
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A root canal treated tooth that needs to be strengthened and held together
3. When should a dental crown procedure be done?
Any of the above listed problems would indicate the need for a dental crown. Ideally this dental crown procedure would be completed before the tooth starts to hurt.
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A damaged tooth or tooth that is in pain can still be fixed, but it may need a root canal treatment before the crown procedure.
4. How is a tooth crowned?
A dental crown procedure usually occurs in two phases:
Phase One of a dental crown procedure:
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The tooth is put to sleep with local anesthetic.
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Tooth decay, fractures, and old fillings (composite resin or metal alloy) are removed.
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Missing tooth structure is rebuilt with a special composite resin designed to strengthen the weak tooth.
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The tooth and composite resin are shaped to ideally support the future dental crown.
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An impression of the tooth receiving the crown will be made using impression paste. This impression is sent to a dental laboratory where dental technicians will create a beautiful crown that is custom fit to your tooth and the surrounding teeth. It usually takes about 3 weeks to make the porcelain crown.
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Recovery from the procedure typically involves managing irritation or inflammation with ibuprofen or tylenol and warm salt water rinses. Typically the tooth and tissues will calm down within the first 5 days.
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A plastic temporary crown is fabricated and cemented over your prepared tooth to protect it during the timeframe the laboratory is making the dental crown.
Phase Two of a dental crown procedure
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Once the permanent crown is delivered from the dental lab, you will return to your dentist's office and the plastic temporary crown is removed from your tooth. The adhesive for temporary crowns is not as strong as that for permanent crowns, making them easier to remove.
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The dental crown is tried in and customized for a perfect fit to your tooth and your opposing teeth.
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Once the fit is perfect, the crown is permanently cemented to your tooth.
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Maintaining good oral hygiene is essential to protect the crowned tooth from decay and gum disease after the procedure.
5. Are there different types of dental crowns?
Crowns can be made from various materials, including metals like gold, porcelain-fused-to-metal, all-resin, and all-ceramic. The type of material is matched with where in the mouth the tooth is AND how the tooth is used to provide the longest lifespan possible.
Here are some examples of the materials that can be used:
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Metal crowns are usually made from gold, palladium, nickel, or chromium. Metal crowns are durable and rarely chip or break, lasting the longest in terms of wear. The main drawback of gold crowns or stainless steel crowns is their metallic color, making them less aesthetic for visible teeth. Newer high density porcelain crowns can match metal for durability.
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Porcelain fused to metal crowns (PFM) combine the durability of metal with the natural appearance of porcelain. PFM crowns may chip and expose the metal underneath, gradually wearing down opposing teeth's enamel.
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All porcelain crowns mimic dental enamel better than other crown types and are ideal for those with metal allergies.
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Zirconia crowns are extremely durable, able to withstand heavy forces, and are less abrasive to opposing teeth than metal-ceramic crowns.
6. How long do dental crowns last?
High quality laboratory made porcelain crowns can last MANY years.
It is common to see crowns that are 15+ years old.
Crown failure is typically related to two things:
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Not keeping the crown clean enough, which can lead to a cavity forming on the natural tooth structure around the edge of the dental crown.
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Chewing on hard crystaline objects - Ice, hard candy, rocks, etc.. Neither natural teeth or dental crowns are designed for this kind of use.
7. How do I take care of my new dental crown?
Crowns should be brushed and flossed just as thoroughly as natural teeth.
Here are 5 steps to ideal teeth cleaning:
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Scrape/brush the top side of your tongue clean.
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Floss. Thoroughly. This is the most important step that people often skip. Thoroughly scrub up and down each surface between the teeth at least 2-3 times.
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Rinse with Listerine mouthwash. This removes the debris you just scrubbed off the teeth and kills bacteria for at least 45 minutes with phenolic oils.
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Brush for 2-3 minutes, ideally with prescription Fluoride toothpaste. Small gentle circles aimed at the gumline and chewing surfaces.
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Spit the toothpaste out but don't rinse/eat/drink for 30 minutes. This gives the Fluoride time to absorb into your teeth and harden the tooth structure.
Floss first, then brush for 2-3 minutes. At least 2-3 times per day. If you want to spend as little time as possible having your teeth fixed, this is how to do it!
Dental crowns are a very effective way to save damaged teeth for the long-term.
If you have concerns about any of your teeth, our team at Daniel Appel DDS in Oroville Ca. would love to help you save your smile!