Dental Crowns

Dr. Mark Grucella, DDS • March 18, 2017

Learn What a Dental Crown Is and Why You Would Need One

What Is A Crown?

A crown is a cover or “cap” your dentist can put on the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and improve its appearance. The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.

The purpose of the crown is to make the tooth stronger or improve the way it looks.

Why You May Need a Dental Crown

You may need a crown if you:

Have a cavity that is too large for a filling
Have a broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
Have a tooth with a large filling or fractures
Are missing tooth and need a bridge
Need to cover misshapen or severely discolored teeth
Need to cover a dental implant
Need to make a cosmetic modification
Have had root canal treatment (the crown will protect the restored tooth from breaking)

How A Crown is Placed

Preparing a tooth for a crown usually requires two visits to the dentist -- the first step involves examining and preparing the tooth, the second visit involves placement of the permanent crown.

First Visit: Examining and Preparing The Tooth.

At the first visit in preparation for a crown, your dentist may take a few X-rays to check the roots of the tooth receiving the crown and surrounding bone. If the tooth has extensive decay or if there is a risk of infection or injury to the tooth's pulp, a root canal treatment may first be performed.

Before the process of making a crown begins, your dentist will anesthetize (numb) the tooth and the gum tissue around the tooth. Next, the tooth receiving the crown is filed down along the chewing surface and sides to make room for the crown. The amount removed depends on the type of crown used. If a large area of the tooth is missing (due to cavity or damage), your dentist will use filling material to "build up" the tooth to support the crown.

After reshaping the tooth, your dentist typically will use a paste or putty to make an impression of the tooth to receive the crown. Impressions of the teeth above and below the tooth to receive the dental crown will also be made to make sure that the crown will not affect your bite.

The impressions are then sent to a dental lab where the crown will be manufactured. The crown is usually returned to your dentist's office in two to three weeks. During this first office visit your dentist will make a temporary crown to cover and protect the prepared tooth while the crown is being made. Temporary crowns usually are made of acrylic and are held in place using a temporary cement.

Second Visit: Receiving The Permanent Dental Crown

At the second visit, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and check the fit and color of the permanent crown. If everything is acceptable, a local anesthetic will be used to numb the tooth and the new crown is permanently cemented in place.

Caring for Temporary Dental Crowns

Because temporary dental crowns are just that - a temporary fix until a permanent crown is ready - most dentists suggest that a few precautions. These include:

Avoid sticky, chewy foods
Try to chew on the different side
Avoid chewing hard foods
Slide flossing material out-rather than lifting out-when cleaning your teeth.
If temporary crown comes off your should call your dental office to have it re-cemented

How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?

On average, dental crowns last between five and 15 years. The life span of a crown depends on the amount of "wear and tear" the crown is exposed to, how well you follow good oral hygiene practices, and your personal mouth-related habits (you should avoid such habits as grinding or clenching your teeth, chewing ice, biting fingernails, and using your teeth to open packaging).

Types of Dental Crowns Available

Permanent crowns can be made from stainless steel, all metal (such as gold or another alloy), porcelain-fused-to-metal, all resin, or all ceramic.

Stainless steel crowns are prefabricated crowns that are used on permanent teeth primarily as a temporary measure. The crown protects the tooth or filling while a permanent crown is made from another material. For children, a stainless steel crown is commonly used to fit over a primary tooth that's been prepared to fit it. The crown covers the entire tooth and protects it from further decay. When the primary tooth comes out to make room for the permanent tooth, the crown comes out naturally with it.

Gold crowns withstand biting and chewing forces well and probably last the longest in terms of wear down. Also, gold crowns rarely chip or break. The metallic color is the main drawback. Gold crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns can be color matched to your adjacent teeth. However, more wearing to the opposing teeth occurs with this crown type compared with metal or resin crowns. The crown's porcelain portion can also chip or break off. Next to all-ceramic crowns, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns look most like normal teeth. However, sometimes the metal underlying the crown's porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line and even more so if your gums recede. These crowns can be a good choice for front or back teeth as well as long bridges where the metal is needed for strength.

All porcelain dental crowns provide better natural color match than any other crown type and may be more suitable for people with metal allergies. All ceramic crowns are a good choice for front teeth.

Caring for Your Teeth and Crowns

To prevent damage to a crown, there are a few things you can do:

Avoid chewing ice or other hard objects like pencils. This is especially important for tooth-colored crowns
Wear night guard if you clench or grind your teeth
Be sure to see your dentist and dental hygienist for regular exams and teeth cleaning
Brush twice a day and floss at least once a day
Use fluoridated mouth washes at least once a day

Contact Us for More Information

If you would like to learn more about dental crowns or have questions about whether or not you need a crown, please contact us by calling 330-733-7911 or send us a website message .

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Oral Health Awareness is Important Every Month of the Year!

By Dr. Mark Grucella, DDS • July 26, 2023

Oral health plays a significant role in our overall health, both physical and mental. Therefore, it’s beneficial and rewarding to think about oral health every day. There are national awareness months throughout the year that focus attention on different aspects of oral health and the importance of taking care of ourselves with good practices, routines, and professional care. Here are some of the months receiving national recognition for different types of oral health topics:

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By Dr. Mark Grucella, DDS • February 8, 2023

Learn about the many advantages of digital dentures compared to a traditional denture.

Just Like Halloween, There’s Really Nothing To Fear

By Dr. Mark Grucella • October 22, 2022

Halloween can understandably be a scary time of year. Afterall, when October rolls around, we start seeing the emergence of witches, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, vampires, bats, spiders, and everything else that can make the hair on the backs of our necks stand up. But then, October 31 st comes and goes, and we realize, there really wasn’t anything to fear in the first place. It was just our worries, anxieties, or the unknown running wild and getting the better of us. Time and time again, our new patients tell us how dental care can be a lot like Halloween. They have anxiety because of the unknown, or they had an unfavorable experience in the past that resulted in a reluctance to continue to seek care on a regular basis. We are proud to say we were a breath of fresh air for these patients. Once they came to us, they discovered there really wasn’t anything to fear and now look forward to each and every appointment so they can enjoy the many benefits of routine dental care. As we like to say, “Our Dental Care Does Not Scare” and here’s why: Friendly, Fun, Non-Judgmental Style of Care When patients come to one of our three Akron-Canton area dentist offices, they find a welcoming and friendly team of professionals focused only on the comfort, care, and well-being of our patients. We also like to have some fun! In addition to being dedicated dental professionals, we are sports fans who like to support our teams. When there’s a big game, you’ll see each of us wearing our favorite team’s jersey whether it’s the Guardians, Browns, and yes, even the Steelers. Holidays also provide us with great opportunities throughout the year to incorporate some fun by decorating our offices and ourselves with the applicable ornamentation. What’s really special is watching how our patients love to join in on the fun and dress up for the big games and holidays too! Informing and Empowering Our Patients Before we proceed with any type of care, we provide our patients with all the information, explanations, and answers to questions they want. Costs are also shared up-front so approval can be given and there are no surprises. We make sure our patients are always in charge of their individual care. Navigating Dental Insurance Benefits Like any type of insurance, dental benefits can get complicated. What’s covered? What’s not? Am I taking full advantage of all my dental insurance benefits? These are just a few of the most frequently asked questions by our patients. We help you navigate your dental insurance plan and understand all your benefits. No Dental Insurance, No Problem Not everyone has a dental insurance plan and the ability to minimize their out-of-pocket dental care cost. That’s why we created an in-house discount dental plan. It helps our patients who are not covered by dental insurance save on everything from cleanings and fillings to cosmetic procedures and crowns. See Why There’s Nothing To Fear While many people put off dental care because of worries or anxieties, we invite you to give us a try by scheduling an appointment at one of our three Akron-Canton area dental office locations. Please call us at 330-733-7911 or send us a request for an appointment here on our website by visiting this link: REQUEST APPOINTMENT Just like Halloween, we’re confident you are going to see there really is nothing to fear. In fact, you may just find you’ll have some fun!