If your tooth has extensive fillings without sufficient tooth structure remaining, your dentist might recommend protecting the tooth with a dental crown. The designing of dental crowns helps mimic the appearance of your natural teeth because the restoration hollow in the middle encases your compromised tooth after it is custom created for you by a dental laboratory. Besides fixing aesthetic issues with your teeth, dental crowns from Watsonville Family Dental also help restore the tooth’s functionality.

Dental crowns are similar to tooth-shaped caps for placement over your damaged tooth. The restoration helps protect, cover, and restore the shape of your teeth when fillings are inadequate to resolve the problem. Various materials like metals, ceramic, porcelain, and resin help make dental crowns that generally don’t require special attention over time besides appropriate oral hygiene.

When Is a Dental Crown Needed?

Your teeth can sustain damages over time for various reasons. For example, tooth decay, injuries, or regular use can cause your teeth to lose shape and size. As tooth-shaped caps, dental crowns are placed over your tooth to restore the tooth’s appearance, shape, strength, and size.

You may require a dental crown to protect a weak tooth from decay from cracking or to keep it together if parts of it are broken. Crowns help restore a broken or severely worn down tooth. Crowns are also helpful to hold a dental bridge or cover dental implants if you have missing teeth. If you have recently undergone root canal treatment, a dental crown is essential to protect the tooth rendered fragile by the therapy.

The Process of Getting A Dental Crown

The process of getting a dental crown in Watsonville, CA, is straightforward but requires at least three visits to the dentist’s office.

When preparing for the dental crown procedure, the first visit is to see the dentist get the tooth needing the protection examined and prepared. Next, the dentist takes x-rays of the tooth and the bone surrounding it. If you are affected by tooth decay, the dentist might recommend root canal treatment before you receive the restoration. After that, you can schedule your appointment to complete the dental crown procedure that requires the filing of your tooth to accommodate the new crown.

When getting dental crowns near you, prepare yourself to endure filing your tooth from the top and sides to make sufficient space for the crown. The procedure is not comfortable, but you receive anesthesia around the tooth to ensure comfort. How much tooth structure removal is required depends on the type of crown you have selected. Metal crowns are thinner and don’t require the extensive filing of the tooth. However, comprehensive tooth structure removal becomes necessary if you need the crown in the aesthetic zone and have selected porcelain crowns.

After reshaping your tooth, the dentist copies the tooth receiving the crown besides impressions of your teeth in both jaws above and below the tooth receiving the crown. The impressions are for the dental laboratory to custom-create your personalized restoration.

As your tooth structure is compromised, the dentist provides temporary crowns over the tooth for protection until your permanent restoration is ready.

Waiting for at least a couple of weeks is customary for the dental laboratory to prepare your customized crown. However, you can revisit the dentist after two weeks to have permanent restoration of your tooth. The Watsonville dentist first removes the temporary crown from your tooth after giving you local anesthesia and places the permanent crown over it. Next, the dentist checks the color and fit of the new crown, and if all things are acceptable, cements the new crown permanently over the prepared tooth.

What Is the Lifespan of Dental Crowns?

Generally, dental crowns have a lifespan of five to 15 years. However, the lifespan depends on the wear and tear the crown is exposed to and your oral hygiene regimen. In addition, your mouth-related habits also affect the lifespan of the crown. For example, if you are affected by bruxism or habitually chew on ice, bite your fingernails or use your teeth for purposes other than eating and chewing, you may require replacements faster than expected.

Crowned teeth don’t require special attention besides appropriate dental hygiene. It helps if you remember the underlying tooth needs protection from tooth decay and gum disease. Therefore, you must follow reasonable dental hygiene practices, brush and floss your teeth as recommended by the dentist, and get regular dental checkups and cleanings to protect the tooth and the crown. Avoiding biting on complex surfaces helps prevent the cracking of porcelain crowns. However, the process for receiving a dental crown extends no longer than three weeks.