Dental crowns are one of the most common restorative and cosmetic dental procedures available, primarily because use of dental crowns can serve many purposes. A dental crown can be used to restore badly decayed teeth, to enhance the look of unsightly teeth, or to replace missing teeth. In fact, nearly any situation that requires a significant cosmetic modification or restoration can be addressed by using a dental crown.
What exactly is a dental crown? That’s the first question that should be answered before you can determine why you might need one. Essentially, a crown is a cap or cover that resembles the look and feel of an actual tooth that is placed over an abutment to take the place of the original tooth. The abutment can be a portion of the existing tooth that is ground down to serve as a post to hold the dental crown, or if the tooth is missing or needs to be extracted, the crown can be held in place by a dental bridge or a dental implant.
No matter how a dental crown is secured in place, the make-up of a crown is generally the same, although materials may differ. Crowns can be made from resin, ceramic, porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, stainless steel or other metals. There are pros and cons to each type of material, but whatever material the crown is made from, the process involves fabrication in a lab following the taking of a mold of the mouth. While the crown is being fabricated, a temporary crown can be put into place to temporarily cover the abutment.
One common reason that a dental crown is used is when a tooth has extensive decay. If a tooth would require a large filling due to a lot of decay, has already cracked or a portion has broken off, a crown may be used to provide support. The crown protects the weak tooth, keeps it together and stronger, and can protect the remaining tooth from further wear or decay. Generally, when this type of crown is needed, the existing tooth is shaped to hold the cap, which is created in the lab, and when ready, the crown is permanently affixed to the bud of the tooth.
If a tooth is missing, due to an injury, decay or extraction, a crown can also take the place of the missing tooth. The crown can be affixed in the mouth in one of two ways when it is taking the place of a missing tooth. One way is to have a dental bridge made. When this is done, the two teeth adjacent to the missing tooth are ground down and a cap is made to fit over each tooth. Then an additional crown is fabricated to replace the missing tooth. That crown is held in place by creation of a bridge, which is made out of metal or another material. The bridge keeps the crown covering the empty space in position. Some bridges can be made by attaching the crown for the missing tooth to just one adjacent tooth.
Another way to utilize a dental crown to replace a missing tooth is with the use of a dental implant. In this case, a titanium post is surgically implanted into the jawbone and allowed to heal. The post then serves as the abutment over which the dental crown is placed to take the place of the missing tooth.
For more information about dental crowns in Queens, contact Park Dental Care at 718-274-1515.
