There are many reasons that you may consider a crown. In this article, cover a number of common questions regarding crowns.
The most common are that you:
- Have a cavity that is too large for a filling,
- Have a tooth that is cracked, worn down or weakened, or
- Have had a root canal treatment, as the crown will protect the restored tooth
However, crowns are also considered if you:
- Have a missing tooth and need a bridge,
- Need to cover a dental implant, or
- Want to cover a discoloured or misshapen tooth and improve your smile
A crown is a hollow, artificial tooth used to cover a tooth which has been damaged or discoloured, and it protects it from further damage. Once completed, the crown will look very similar to your original tooth and should last for many years.
It usually takes at least two visits to the dentist to complete a crown – here’s a general step-by-step of what you can expect when you visit us for a crown.
- We’ll give you a local anesthetic.
- We trim the tooth that needs to be restored.
- We take an impression of the trimmed tooth and nearby teeth. We send this impression to a dental lab to make a custom crown for your tooth. The material of the crown will depend on a few factors including, which tooth is being crowned and what your preferences are.
- While waiting for the lab to complete your custom crown, we will place a temporary crown over the tooth that needs to be restored, and this protects your tooth until the final crown is ready.
- When the final crown is ready (generally two weeks from your first visit), you’ll come back for your second appointment, and we will take off the temporary crown and try on the final one.
- We will check to make sure the final crown feels good in your mouth, is the right colour and that your bite feels comfortable. If it is, we will cement the crown.
If you think you’re in need of a crown, or if you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call or send us a note through our contact page. We are always happy to help!