Dental Crowns: Everything You Need to Know
With the fast technological advancement, more dental procedures are being employed to salvage human teeth. Dental crowns are among them. They entirely cover your tooth, providing protection and closing cracks in teeth. Some people use dental crowns near me to improve their teeth appearance. When necessary, you need to visit a dentist near me to discuss the best suitable dental crown for you. Below is all you need to know about dental crowns.
What are dental crowns?
A dental crown basically refers to a ‘cap’ placed over a tooth. It restores its size, shape, and improve its appearance. Dental crowns are also used to strengthen teeth. Dentists permanently cement dental crowns on a cracked, extensively damaged or decayed tooth.
Although most people are intimidated by the prospect of having a dental crown procedure, it’s essential to undergo it. When fixed, the crown fully covers the visible part of the damaged tooth. They can equally be customized to fit over every tooth. Dental crowns are made from various materials such as ceramics, porcelain infused with metal, resin, or gold.
When are dental crowns needed?
A number of situations can lead to administration of dental crowns in Suffern including:
- Restoring a severely worn down or already damaged tooth
- Holding together cracked parts of a tooth
- When protecting a weak tooth (such as a decayed tooth) from breakage or further damage
- Crowning discolored or miss-sharpened teeth
- Covering a dental implant
- Covering and supporting a large filling in a tooth, especially if there is an extensive chipping
- For cosmetic modification of teeth
Children with milk teeth can also have dental crowns fixed. This can be to:
- Save a severely decayed tooth that can’t support a filling, from further damage
- Protecting teeth particularly for a child having difficulty maintaining a healthy dental hygiene
- Minimizing the chances of general anesthesia for children unable to meet proper dental care due to age or behavior.
Our dentists in Suffern NY 10901 recommend stainless steel crowns for children.
Various Types of Dental Crowns
Dental Crowns in Suffern are available in different types depending on the material used and the duration of the crown. These are discussed below.
- Stainless steel – These are pre-crafted crowns used with permanent teeth for a temporary purpose. It protects the tooth crown while the permanent crown is made from a different material. In children, they are used on milk teeth to protect teeth from decay and external damage. They permanently embed on the child’s teeth.
- Metallic – crowns mainly constitute alloys packed with gold or platinum. Base-metal alloys like cobalt, chromium, and nickel-chromium are also used. They have higher chances of withstanding biting and chewing forces.Metal crowns are the most durable in terms of wearing down and hardly chip or break. They are best for hidden molars.
- Porcelain-metal – compared to metal and resin crowns, the porcelain part of the crown can break or chip off.Porcelain-metal crowns, however, have a more natural look if your gums recede, though the metal inside can show as a dark line along the gum line.
They are best for front and back teeth. Long gaps can be bridged by this type of crown due to the metal, which provides extra strength.
- All-resin – They are less costly but are more prone to breakages. They also wear done faster compared to porcelain-metal crowns.
- All-ceramic – They have a better natural look that the rest and are suitable for people allergic to metals. All-ceramic crowns are fit both for front and back teeth.
- Temporary and Permanent crowns – Temporary crowns are made with stainless steel or an acrylic-based substance easily in the office to offer artificial restoration awaiting for permanent crowns. Permanent crowns are exclusively made in the lab and take some time to construct.
Caring for your temporary crown
As you wait for your permanent crown, dentists in Suffern suggest the following precautionary measures on your temporary crown:
- Elude sticky foods such as caramel and chewing gum which can pull out the crown
- Chew less with the side of the mouth that has the artificial crown
- Avoid hard foods, e.g., raw vegetables. They can break or dislodge the crown
- When flossing between your teeth, slide rather than lift off the dental floss to avoid pulling out the temporary crown.