Dental Crowns
Repair Your Tooth, Restore Your Smile
When we talk about the crowns of teeth, we’re specifically referring to the visible portion that sits above your gum line. Crowns are exposed to many hard external substances throughout the day, allowing bacteria to consume them and begin producing harmful plaque acids. When these acids go unremoved, tooth enamel can become seriously damaged to the point where they break down. These can leave the most sensitive parts of your mouth (i.e. your nerves and soft tissue) at risk of infection. If your tooth is compromised, don’t wait to call our dentists in Teays Valley for a restorative dental appointment!
What is a Dental Crown and Do I Need One?
Dental crowns are highly-customized restorations designed to fit over damaged teeth. Typically taking two appointments to place, they involve creating a cast of your damaged tooth, which is then used to create your permanent crown. Prior to the impression being collected, your tooth needs to be modified so that it can receive a crown and provide the foundation it needs to stay in place. We’ll work with a dedicated dental lab to ensure your crown fits over your tooth exactly.
If you have suffered a dental fracture that left more than two-thirds of your natural tooth damaged, a dental crown would be the most effective restorative treatment available (outside of a root canal, which would be needed to treat a dental infection.) This damage can occur as a result of decay or from physical trauma.
Benefits of Dental Crowns
Not only can you restore your tooth’s functionality to the fullest, but your nearby teeth won’t shift out of place along the way. When teeth are damaged, remaining teeth have a tendency to move towards the open gap as a way to compensate for the gap. This is no longer an issue when a dental crown is filling the space. Furthermore, when you restore a tooth that’s visible in your smile, it will look far more symmetrical and attractive in the long-term, especially since they’ll be made out of high-quality porcelain that blends in perfectly with your remaining teeth.
How to Make Your Dental Crown Last
You can treat your dental crown as your normal tooth moving forward, however, that means you’ll need to:
- Brush your teeth twice a day using fluoridated toothpaste.
- Floss at least once a day.
- Maintain routine dental appointments with our office in Teays Valley at least once every six months.
- Avoid chewing on very hard or inedible substances or objects (i.e. ice cubes, packages, fingernails, pens, pencils, hard candy, etc.)
- Wear protective mouthguards when playing contact sports.
- Wear a nightguard if you suffer from chronic teeth grinding and clenching.