If you find yourself in need of restorative dentistry, something has gone wrong. You have cracked or chipped a tooth possibly, or maybe you’ve even lost most or all of a permanent tooth.
The question then becomes which type of restorative dentistry will provide the best outcome for you. At Portrait Dental, the expert team led by Dr. Minh D. Nguyen offers a variety of restorative services, including fillings, crowns, bonding, implants, and more.
Dental crowns are one of the most well-known options to restore your tooth. Here’s some information about how they work and when they might be the best choice for your dental restoration.
A crown is simply a tooth-shaped cover or cap that your dentist installs over a tooth to restore it to its normal size, shape, and function. They are usually made of porcelain, metal, or ceramic, and are used to restore a weaker tooth back to a point where it can be used again.
For a dental crown to be used, there must be enough of your tooth left to support the crown. The most common use for a crown is when there has been so much tooth decay that a filling wouldn’t be a good treatment option.
Additional uses for a crown include covering a dental implant, being used as a part of a bridge to replace a missing tooth, protecting a tooth restored with a root canal, or to cover a cracked, chipped, discolored, or badly-shaped tooth so you can have a beautiful smile.
Advantages of a crown over another type of restorative dentistry (such as an implant), include the ability to save the tooth from extraction, halting further decay from taking place, using a minimally-invasive, non-surgical procedure resulting in a quick and easy healing process. If you take good care of your crowns, they could last for 15 years or more.
The crown should look natural and fit comfortably in your mouth. Your dentist will prepare the tooth (remove decay, make sure there’s enough support, etc.) for the crown and then take an impression, which is sent off to make a permanent crown. In the meantime, you’ll have a temporary crown for a couple of weeks before the permanent version is installed and your smile is transformed.
If you think you may be in need of a dental crown, why not contact Portrait Dental and let Dr. Nguyen take a look at your situation? You can call the office or request your own appointment online, and we’ll be happy to give you our best advice and treatment!
