subject: Dental Crowns Protect Damaged Teeth [print this page] Whether your tooth have been damaged due to a large filling or a crack in your tooth, a dental crown can help cover a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size. The use of a crown helps to make your tooth stronger with an improved overall appearance. Dental crowns can be used to:
*Cover and support a tooth with a large filling
*Attach a bridge
*Protect a weak tooth from breaking
*Restore a tooth that is already broken
*Cover teeth that are discolored or badly shaped
*Cover a dental implant
If your dentist in Eugene recommends a crown, it is often due to the conditions previously listed. When determining the need for a dental crown, your dentist's primary concern is to help you keep your teeth healthy and your smile bright.
What are Dental Crowns?
A crown is a type of dental restoration that fully caps, or covers, a portion of your tooth that lies at and above the gum line. Once it has been cemented into place, a crown becomes the tooth's new outer surface. Crowns are one of dentistry's most versatile restorations because they offer a way to repair and strengthen your damaged teeth.
Additionally, dental crowns also provide a way to improve a tooth's appearance, including color, shape and even apparent alignment. They can be made out of porcelain, metal or a combination of dental ceramic and metal alloy. However, porcelain crowns are most highly used, as they closely resemble natural teeth.
Your Eugene dentist might recommend a crown for an array of reasons, but most of them will fall within one or more of the following categories:
*Restoring or making changes to a tooth's shape
*Reinforcing a structurally compromised tooth
*Improving a tooth's appearance
Your First Visit - Examination and Preparation
At your first visit, your dentist will take a few x-rays to check the roots of the tooth receiving the crown and surrounding bone. If the tooth has extensive decay or if there is a risk of infection or injury to the tooth's pulp, a root canal treatment may first be performed. Before the process of making your crown has begun, your dentist will anesthetize your tooth and the gum tissue around the tooth. The tooth receiving the crown is then filed down along the chewing surface and sides to make room for the crown. The amount that is to be removed depends on the type of crown used.
After the reshaping of your tooth, your dentist will then make an impression of your tooth that is receiving the crown. Your impressions are then sent to a dental laboratory where the crown will be manufactured. Once completed, your dentist will place your crown at your final visit. A local anesthetic will be used to numb the tooth and the new crown is permanently cemented in place.
On average, dental crowns typically last between 5 and 15 years. This life span depends on the amount of wear and tear the crown is exposed to, how well you follow oral hygiene practices, and your personal mouth-related habits.
If you have a damaged tooth, talk to your dentist in Eugene today about available options for restoring your tooth.
by: Gen Wright
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