CROWNS
A dental crown is a type of dental restoration made of various materials, from gold to porcelain, that encircles the tooth. It's a full coverage cap. Some reasons your tooth may need a crown include:
1) It’s had a root canal - root canal treated teeth are dried out and brittle, which makes them more prone to breaking. Blood vessels found within the innermost layer of the tooth, the pulp, supply moisture to the tooth. These blood vessels are removed along with the nerve tissue during a root canal. A crown is recommended to protect it.
2) There's a large cavity, filling or fracture - when your tooth has little natural tooth structure left it is structurally compromised and needs protection to prevent it from further breakage.
3) Cracked tooth syndrome - when a patient has pain to biting and we can't find a specific cause, it could be that there are some internal cracks that we can't see. A crown helps prevent flexing of the tooth at these crack points during chewing (and thus prevents the pain this may cause), as it holds everything together.
4) It’s being used as a Bridge abutment - when you are using a tooth to help replace a missing tooth either in front or behind it.
5) Severely discoloured or misshapen teeth
SO WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU NEED A CROWN?
There are 2 appointments to complete a crown: The first appointment is longer and is similar to a larger filling appointment. A local anaesthetic is given to numb the tooth and we then remove tooth structure from the top and from all sides to create a smaller peg-like shape. A digital scan is then taken for fabrication of the crown, which is sent to our lab. A temporary crown is fabricated and cemented. The patient leaves with this temporary and comes back in a couple of weeks to cement the permanent crown.
The second appointment is usually much quicker, and often times doesn't even require local anaesthetic. The temporary crown is removed and the tooth is cleaned of any excess cement. The permanent crown is then tried in and evaluated for fit, margins, aesthetics, bite, and contacts to adjacent teeth. If all is well, it is cemented in place with a permanent cement. Now the tooth is strong and protected, while still looking and functioning like a normal tooth.
LOCATION
6585 Malden Road – Unit 101
LaSalle, ON
N9H 1T5
info@loft32dentistry.ca
(226) 708-1010