What Exactly Are Dental Crowns?
A dental crown is basically a tooth-colored “cap” that fits over an existing tooth. Once placed, the dental crown both looks and functions just like a natural tooth, restoring its strength and aesthetic appeal.
Why Are Dental Crowns Used?
A dental crown is use for a number of reasons, primarily:
- To repair a tooth that is damaged due to trauma, decay, or any other reason. Rigby dental crowns can be placed over damaged teeth, covering up weak or exposed areas, and restoring one’s eating and speaking abilities, as well as enhancing their facial appearance.
- To protect or hold together pieces of a weak tooth. When teeth have become destabilized or weakened due to decay or any other reason, a crown acts as a protective shield, guarding against further fracturing and disintegration.
- To encapsulate a tooth that contains a very large filling. This is sometimes required in cases where there is a large filling and not much tooth left.
- For cosmetic reasons, such as covering a misshapen or stained tooth.
Dental crowns are also used in dental implant procedures, as dental implants are basically dental crowns fastened to titanium posts in the jaw.
What Does The Dental Crown Procedure Consist Of?
At Cedar Creek Dental, our Rigby dental crowns are placed in a single appointment. Rather than going home with a temporary crown that runs the risk of falling off, you will leave our office with a brand new, permanent dental crown.
The procedure is rather simple:
- First, we will anesthetize the tooth.
- Then we will prepare it for restoration.
- Next, Dr. Mikesell will use the CEREC machine to convert an image of your tooth into a 3 dimensional virtual model on our computer. We design your dental crown via our CEREC 3 dimensional computer program, and then send it to a milling machine in our office.
- We “bake” the crown in a 700 degree oven, after which it is polished and bonded to your tooth.
It only takes about 10 to 20 minutes for your dental crown to be created and placed.
How Strong Are Dental Crowns?
Due to the amount of tooth that needs to be trimmed off before a crown can be placed, crowns end up being rather thick. This thickness, combined with the materials we use, ensures that they are very durable and long-lasting. The porcelain materials that we use at Cedar Creek Dental also ensure that your dental crown is powerful and lasts for a long time, restoring all of the functionality of your natural teeth.
When properly taken care of, our Rigby dental crowns will last many years.
Do Dental Crowns Look Natural?
We make sure to create your dental crown to be consistent with the shape and color of the rest of your teeth. Once your Rigby dental crown is placed, no one will be able to tell which teeth are natural and which is a crown. Your smile will be good-looking and consistent.
