What is a Crown?

 

A crown is a permanent covering that fits completely over an original tooth or a dental implant. Bonded with dental cement they are used to improve or strengthen the tooth. Crowns can be made of a variety of different materials such as porcelain, gold, acrylic resin or a mix of these materials. Each material has a different durability and look, however, porcelain generally has the most natural appearance of all the materials. Your Doctor will suggest the most appropriate material for your individual case. The average crown lasts approximately 10 years, but with proper care your crown could very well last a lifetime.

 

 

Crowns are Used to:

• Protect a weak tooth

• Restore a fractured tooth

• Attach a bridge

• Cover a dental implant

• Cover a discoloured or poorly shaped tooth

 

 

The Process:

• Cleaning and preparing the tooth to remove any decay in or around it.

• Re-sculpturing the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown.

• Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown (usually takes one to two weeks). See Cerec here for a single day treatment!

• Making a temporary crown out of acrylic resin and fitting it onto the tooth during the interim period when the permanent custom-made crown is being created.

• Applying the permanent crown (when received from the lab) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the permanent one onto the tooth.

• After ensuring that the crown has the proper look and fit, the dentist cements it into place.

• This process generally consists of 2 visits over a two week period. Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy gums and crowns. Given proper care, your crowns can last a lifetime.