Are Dental Crowns Ideal for You?
Dental crowns are an ideal dental solution recommended by dentists to correct a variety of dental imperfections such as cracked teeth These caps are cemented over the tooth to cover it and restore the shape, size, and appearance. With proper dental care, dental crowns can last between five and 15 years before being replaced.
Teeth caps are effective, but before you can come for your dental crown treatment in Lancaster, CA, you must know what they are and when they are used.
Why are Dental Crowns Needed?
Our dentist may recommend dental crowns to address a few dental problems such as:
- To hold and protect your weakened teeth from breaking. When you have mild tooth decay, the dentist will opt for dental crowns instead of tooth extraction to preserve your teeth
- To restore or repair a broken or severely worn out tooth
- To hold a dental bridge and cover crooked or misshapen teeth
- To cover a tooth implant
Although dental crowns are mostly used by adults, the dentist can also recommend pediatric dental crowns for children to save their teeth from dental cavities. The crowns may also be used if the child has dental decay, but the teeth are too damaged to support a filling.
The pediatric dental crowns are placed on primary teeth and come when the teeth fall off.
What Options Are Available?
A variety of dental crown types are available and differ in material and durability.
- Full porcelain crowns are hard, attractive and natural-looking. Because they resemble your teeth, these crowns are commonly used in the front teeth. Plus, they are biocompatible meaning it’s well tolerated by most people.
- Porcelain-fused-to-mental offers the best support for people with enough jaw bone. These are fused to a metal substructure that offers strength
- Full metal crowns are designed to withstand constant chewing and are ideal for the back teeth. The metal crowns are durable and less prone to fracture.
- All-ceramic crowns are more affordable. However, on the downside, the crowns are porous meaning they are prone to staining and discoloration.
- All-resin are also affordable, but they can wear down relatively quick
Is The Installation Procedure Painful?
No, it’s not painful as local anesthesia is used to numb the tooth. The dental crown procedure requires two dental visits.
On your first dental visit, the dentist will perform an x-ray to check the roots and the surrounding bone. If you have severe dental decay, a root canal cleaning may be done to get rid of the decay. Next, the tooth will be numbed and tooth reshaped. A dental impression will be taken and sent to the lab for molding.
Because the crown can take two to three weeks to be completed, the dentist will give you temporary or same-day crowns. These crowns are made of acrylic and are used to protect your teeth from sensitivity until the permanent ones are fixed.
The second dental visit involves fixing the permanent crown. The dentist will check the fit of the crowns before cementing them permanently.
Are There Any Complications?
Yes. As soon as the anesthesia wears off, you may begin to feel slight tooth sensitivity. Our dentist may prescribe a tooth-sensitive toothpaste to ease the discomfort. Sometimes the cement used may become loose and cause tiny spaces that can harbor bacteria and cause tooth decay on the teeth underneath. Once decay develops, it not only damages the teeth but might cause the crowns to fall.
You can get temporary store-bought crowns when you notice the crowns loosening and call the dentist immediately for a repair.
Some people with the porcelain-fuse-to-metal crowns may develop gum discoloration where the crown is fixed.
Special Care Instructions?
No, the dental crowns don’t require any special care, but you need to maintain proper oral hygiene to protect the teeth underneath from decay or infection. Continue with brushing, flossing and using antibacterial mouthwash once daily.
Dental crowns are an effective way of restoring your teeth’ integrity and appearance. So, contact our Martin Orro DDS dental clinic for a dental crown treatment in Lancaster, CA