Natural appearance includes your smile. This gives us confidence, especially when talking to other people. Tooth decay and injuries can happen, which results in damaged teeth. This can cause your tooth to lose its size and shape. This problem is no longer a big issue with the increasing technological advancement. Your dentists will give you numerous options to make your teeth look good and healthy after being damaged and injured. One of the best solutions is getting a dental crown.
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap used to protect, cover, and restore the damaged tooth to prevent it from further damage. Dental crowns can be made of porcelain, metals, resin, or ceramics. This also doesn’t require special care aside from good oral hygiene. Stainless steel crowns are commonly used for children in preparation for the primary tooth. It protects the tooth from further decay. This material does not require multiple dentist visits, making it more suitable for kids. Metals can also be used for dental crowns. Metal crowns are highly recommended because they can withstand heavy biting and chewing and are long-lasting. However, it is costly, but it hardly chips or breaks easily. If you are looking for less expensive materials, you can opt for resin, but they are likely to wear down and much more prone to fractures than other crown types. Ceramic and porcelain dental crowns are more suitable for people with metal allergies and are usually used for front and back teeth.
A temporary dental crown can be done in dental clinics to restore and protect your teeth temporarily, but permanent dental crowns are done at dental laboratories. This is considered an effective treatment used to restore damaged teeth. There are several advantages of using a dental crown; however, there are also disadvantages of crown that needs to be considered in having a dental crown.
Why do you need a dental crown?
Our teeth are strong enough to withstand biting and chewing. However, some instances may affect the enamel of our teeth, making them more exposed and susceptible to breaking and chipping. Preventing our teeth from damaging is our main concern; failure to do so may cause future problems. Getting a dental crown might be your only solution to prevent it from further damage. The need for a dental crown depends on how the patients need it.
Our smile is our asset, and everyone wants to have a beautiful smile. This will only happen if we have a beautiful set of teeth. Therefore, a dental crown is suggested for cosmetic modification. Patients also use this to cover their dental implants and severely discolored teeth due to poor oral hygiene. A dental bridge is used to replace a missing tooth permanently. This process involves replacing permanent teeth with false teeth, and a dental crown is used to hold them in place. Our teeth are prone to breaking and cracking due to tooth decay and wear out, but a dental crown may be used to protect weak and broken teeth.
Pediatric dentists may also recommend a dental crown for children with damaged teeth to support and protect their teeth from the risk of tooth decay. They highly recommend it to lessen the use of anesthesia for children because, at their age, they cannot cooperate with the proper dental care.
Dental crown treatments are highly suggested because they have a higher success rate. However, this procedure also has disadvantages. To fit the crown, the tooth must be filed to have the right shape, which is often irreversible and extensive. With this, patients experience discomfort after a dental crown procedure. Their teeth are sensitive to hot, cold, and biting, but they can always lessen the sensitivity if they use toothpaste for sharp teeth. Crowns may also be chipped, so it is best to use materials like metals. Dental cement can also be washed out, allowing bacteria to enter the tooth and decay. Allergies can also happen, especially if you are using porcelain.
Dental crowns are expensive, which becomes problematic for some patients. The cost will depend on the materials used for a dental crown. It is essential to consider the benefits and risks to best cater to the needs of the patients.
How do you know when a tooth crown needs to be replaced?
A dental crown can last for ten to fifteen years with proper care. However, some may need replacement earlier, so it is essential to be cautious of the signs if it already needs replacement. Ignoring them may cause pain.
Signs that a dental crown needs replacement:
- Pain and swelling
When a dental crown starts swelling that causes too much pain for the patient, it is time to replace it. Not all dental crown pain and swelling may instantly need a replacement; some only need adjustment or repair. But if the dental crown is not correctly placed and broken, it can cause too much sensitivity that may result in toothache and swelling of your gums.
- Receding gums
Bacteria gather more on the surface of the gums around a dental crown than in natural teeth. In this case, patients have a greater risk of having gum disease. Poor oral hygiene and improper dental crown placement might be the reason for receding gums. Therefore, it is still best to visit your dentist if you experience increased sensitivity to your gums.
- Wear and tear of the dental crown
Constant grinding of teeth may cause the breaking of your dental crown. This is not the only reason a dental crown is damaged; this may be due to underlying causes such as poor oral hygiene and bruxism, which mainly requires the replacement of the crown.
- Old dental crown
A dental crown can last an average of ten to fifteen years, depending upon how you take good care of it. So if your dental crown is already a decade old, it is essential to visit your dentist for replacement before the effect becomes worse.
Dental crowns don’t need any special care. Good oral hygiene, such as brushing teeth and flossing, is enough care. Avoiding the habit of biting complex objects must prevent them from breaking.
River District Smiles Dentistry can help if your crown is damaged or ineffective. We have experts who can solve your problems as quickly as possible.
