When To Use A Cement Crown Or A Screw Crown For An Implant

Posted on: 12 April 2016

When you lose a tooth, you need to restore your smile for more than cosmetic reasons. When you put pressure on a tooth, it will travel down the root and stimulate new growth in the bone. When you lose a tooth, the bone loses this stimulus, the bone stops replenishing, and the teeth around it can start to migrate. A dental implant can restore this stimulus, but you will need to choose between a screw-on crown and a cemented crown. 

What Is an Implant?

To create an implant, a dentist will peel back your gum, drill a hole into the bone, and implant a titanium post into the hole. The bone then has to heal around the post for six months so the post becomes as solid as a natural tooth. The dentist can then connect a crown to this post to complete the procedure. 

An Analysis of a Screw-on Crown

When you choose a screw on crown, the post will have a hole in the top with threads, and the crown will have an access hole through which the screw passes. To attach the crown, a dentist will put it in place and then put the screw in place. While this will create a secure replacement, a screw can work itself lose. When this happens, a dentist will have to re-tighten or replace the screw. The main upside of a screw-on crown is that if the crown is damaged, it is a simple procedure to remove and replace it. The main downside is that the access hole can be unsightly.

An Analysis of a Cemented Crown

A cemented crown, as the name implies, is attached to a post with dental cement. It can be just as secure as a screw-on crown, and the cement will not work itself loose. Furthermore, there is no unsightly access hole for a screw. On the other hand, if your crown gets damaged, removing the cement is far from as simple as removing a screw. Just the same, a cemented crown is a great option for your front teeth or when you want your replacement to look as natural as possible.

When you lose a tooth, you need to carefully talk over your replacement options with your dentist. Your dentist will help you to decide if you are even a good candidate for a tooth replacement and then help you decide which attachment option will work best to replace the tooth you lost. Click here for more info on implant restorations.

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