Has your dentist told you that your need a dental crown? You may find yourself wondering about what kinds of crowns are available, what they do for your teeth, and anything else you need to know about them. Here are some of the answers to your questions.
What Crowns Can Do For Your Teeth
- Improve the appearance of stained or badly shaped teeth
- Protect weak teeth
- Hold together or restore broken teeth
- Support a tooth that doesn’t have enough material to hold a filling
- Cover dental implants or teeth treated with a root canal
- Attach dental bridges
Types Of Crowns Available
- Metal: Strongest and needs less tooth filed away, but is also the most visible.
- Porcelain-Fused-To-Metal: Matches tooth color, but more likely to break or wear tooth on the other side of the mouth.
- All-Porcelain/All-Ceramic: Best matches tooth color and good for those with allergies to metal.
- All-Resin: Most inexpensive, but also most likely to wear quickly or break.
- Pressed Ceramic: Has a hard inner core and is capped with porcelain.
Problems That May Occur
- Sensitivity: To remedy this, use toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth. If there is discomfort when you bite down, the crown may be too high, which your dentist can fix.
- Chips: If they are small, they can be easily repaired. If they are large, then your dentist may have to replace the crown.
- Looseness: This can happen if the cement under the crown is washed away. See your dentist as soon as possible because bacteria can leak underneath the crown and cause decay.
- Falls Off: This can be caused by an improper fit or lack of cement. Call your dentist to see how to care for your teeth before you go to the appointment where they will either re-cement the crown or create a new one.