Crowns
A crown is a permanent covering that fits over a tooth that is decayed, damaged, or cracked/broken. For many teeth that have significant fractures or large cavities and leaking fillings a crown may be the most conservative option available. Treating a broken down tooth with a crown before the tooth is in pain and needing a root canal or before the tooth is no longer able to be saved can save patients from tooth loss and the agony of a toothache.
Crowns are made of a variety of different materials such as porcelain, zirconia or gold. Porcelain crowns generally have the most natural appearance. New advances in materials allow us to provide you with a crown restoration that looks just like your teeth but is very strong and unlikely to break even on back teeth which take a lot of force during chewing.
What to expect during a crown procedure
- Like most involved dental treatments we will gently numb the area very well in order to be able to remove any existing filling and cavity.
- Sculpting (we call this preparation) of the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown. A core build-up is a name for a filling that may go underneath a crown to provide the perfect shape and help support your new crown.
- An impression of your teeth will be taken in order to create a custom-made crown.
- A well-fitting temporary crown will be made and cemented on your tooth. We will teach you how to care for the area while you wear your temporary. We work with an exceptional local laboratory that allows the length of time our patients wear a temporary to usually be less than two weeks.
- The final step is trying in and cementing your crown. We will ensure that the crown fits perfectly. You will get to approve of the look and feel of your crown before we make a decision to cement.
Why do we not do same day crowns? The answer lies in our opinion that the crowns that are made in a dental office in a day are not of the same quality and appearance as the crowns we can deliver using more traditional techniques. Someday this may well change but that day has not yet come.