How Do Dental Crowns Work?

Posted on: 17 May 2016

Dental crowns play a massive role in modern dental work, so it isn't particularly surprising that you might need to get at least one at some point in your life. Crowns can be used to handle a wide variety of problems and are excellent for restoring the shape and integrity of a tooth. To help you get a better understanding of how the installation process works and why you might need to get a crown, here are some tips:

How does the installation process work?

Installing a crown is actually a lot simpler than you might imagine, with only two steps to keep in mind.

In the first step, your dentist, such as at Bae & Bae Family Denistry, is going to take a look at your tooth and clean it. They want to prepare the site for the crown, but more importantly, they want to take measurements of the site, which will be used to create the crown. Since crowns are made custom for every tooth, they do take a while to actually be made and prepared for the installation. At this point, your dentist will give you a type of temporary crown that will protect your teeth for the next several weeks. It may not be too comfortable, but it should do the job and keep your tooth safe.

In the second step, which is several weeks later, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and install the permanent crown. This may only take a matter of minutes, with the majority of the installation dedicated to making sure that it fits properly. Make sure that you give proper feedback during the process, since if you fail to mention that the crown isn't fitting properly, then you could be in for some serious discomfort in the future. The fit may deteriorate, which could lead to unnecessary strain on the tooth.

What are crowns made of?

There are a number of different materials that are used today, with resin and stainless steel being quite common. However, porcelain and ceramic can be used as well.

  • Resin is a cheap and effective option that will look a lot like a normal tooth. The main drawback of resin is that it doesn't last forever and isn't as durable as other options, which means that you may need to get a replacement sooner than normal.

  • Steel is a strong and durable choice, but doesn't look too much like a natural tooth. If you don't care about the appearance of the crown and just wish to save money, then steel is a good choice, but you might want to look elsewhere if aesthetics are a big factor.

  • Porcelain and ceramic are both durable options that will look exactly like real teeth, but they will cost you significantly more. They are normally used for cosmetic crowns, which are used mostly to modify the appearance of your teeth.

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