Perfectly Seamless Tooth Restoration
A dental crown is a “cap” which is placed over a tooth that has been broken, treated by root canal, stained, damaged by decay, or is misshapen. Individually crafted and custom-fitted dental crowns blend in with the tone and contour of your natural teeth and can last for more than 15 years. Sometimes crowns are also used to hold a dental bridge or top off a dental implant or they may be applied for certain cosmetic modifications or aesthetic purposes.
What’s The Process Of Getting A Crown?
A dental crown procedure usually requires two office visits and is performed by a dentist.
Here is how we go about it:
Examining and preparing the tooth
Prevent and reverse decay
Placing the Crown
Needing a crown after a root canal depends highly on the location of the tooth in the mouth—teeth towards the back of the mouth like molars and premolars are needed more for chewing, and generally require crowns, where incisors or canines which aren’t needed for chewing don’t always require crowns.
One difference between a crown vs filling is that a crown is much more durable for teeth with a large biting surface. Repeated pressure from chewing or from habitual clenching can cause fillings on the biting surfaces of molars to chip or come loose. A crown, being a single unbroken surface from gumline to gumline, is designed to take much more force over a longer period of time.
Dental crowns play two important roles in your mouth. First and foremost, they completely restore the function of your tooth which means you can close your teeth and chew without pain or discomfort or without having to compensate by chewing on one side. Secondarily (but also important!) crowns are designed to blend in with your natural teeth. That means they are coloured and contoured to match your aesthetic. In fact, sometimes people forget altogether which tooth is the crown.
Dental crowns play two important roles in your mouth. First and foremost, they completely restore the function of your tooth which means you can close your teeth and chew without pain or discomfort or without having to compensate by chewing on one side. Secondarily (but also important!) crowns are designed to blend in with your natural teeth. That means they are coloured and contoured to match your aesthetic. In fact, sometimes people forget altogether which tooth is the crown.
A post isn’t quite a dental implant (which is surgically implanted in the jaw bone) but it is exactly what it sounds like: a medical-grade post that may be cemented into a prepared root-canal to reinforce the base and core of a dental crown. Dental posts are only used if there isn’t enough healthy tooth left over to reliably hold a crown.
Depending on the state of your tooth, getting a crown can feel a bit like getting a filling. We take our time to patiently numb the area and then use freezing as necessary so the preparation of your tooth isn’t painful. You may feel a little sensitivity or some soreness in the gums around the tooth for a short period of time following your procedure. If you feel anxious about visiting the dentist, let us know! We would love to put your mind at ease and make your experience as comfortable as possible.
In most cases, dental crowns can last up to 15 years. However, if they are properly maintained, they can last for 25-30 years.
A dental crown is maintained just like a natural tooth. Regular brushing and flossing keep your dental crown – and the supporting gum around it – healthy and clean. Regular cleanings and checkups at your dentist are essential to your oral health.
