A lot of adults experience chipping or loosing a tooth. Missing or chipped teeth can make it so you feel less confident with your smile. If any of your teeth are damaged, your dentist may recommend dental crowns as a solution. Dental crowns can help restore your beautiful smile and normal teeth functioning. In the past, a crown meant that you’d have a silver or gold tooth, which may make you nervous about getting a crown. However, in more recent years, crowns have been made to mimic how your other teeth look. These cap-like coverings often consist of porcelain, ceramic, or certain metals and are designed to look and function like real teeth. If you are wondering whether or not a crown is a solution to restore your smile, then keep reading.
When Dental Crowns Are Needed
Crowns are becoming a more and more common solution for dental needs. Teeth that are severely chipped or broken often respond well to dental crowns, but your dentist may recommend crowns for discolored or naturally misshapen teeth. If you undergo root canal treatment, a crown will likely be placed over the treated tooth to give it better protection. You may also need dental crowns to secure dental implants or serve as anchors for a bridge.
Dental Crown Placement
Crowns, depending on the equpment available to your dentist may take 1-2 visits to place. If you elect to have dental crowns implanted, your dentist will use special tools to shape each damaged tooth to a dull point so that the crowns can fit over them. Crowns that have been customized to fit your teeth will then be inserted over each treated tooth. Temporary crowns are often installed to act as placeholders before the permanent crowns are inserted. More and more dental offices have equipment to mold a crown in-office. This means that more and more dentist offices can do a crown placement within the same day and you don’t need to schedule a return visit for the procedure. To prevent you from experiencing pain during the procedure, your dentist will use a numbing agent that will be injected around the treatment areas. Once the crown is in place, your dentist may make adjustments to ensure that it matches your other teeth size and shape.
Care Tips
Your crowns may last up to 20 years before they need replacing if you take proper care of them. Dental crowns usually don’t require any special care aside from the regular brushing and flossing that are already needed for good dental health. It’s best to be cautious about eating crunchy or acidic foods that could wear away the crown materials and shorten the crowns’ lifespans. Chewy and sticky foods can loosen crowns or cause them to come out completely and may need to be limited.
Since clrowns don’t typically bleach or stain like your other teeth, your dentist may provide additional instructions for caring for the color of your crown. For example, your dentist may recommend bleaching your other teeth before doing a color match of your crown to ensure that you have the whitness that you want. Some people consider making their crown a little more white than the rest of their teeth. However, it’s ideal to match your tooth as much as possible so it is less likely to stand out when you smile.
If Problems With Your Crowns Occur
Dental crowns normally stay in place without complications, but you should return to your dentist if your crowns are giving you any problems. If a crown becomes loose or falls out completely, you should visit the dentist as soon as possible to find out if you’ll need a replacement. Any pain or sensitivity that doesn’t go away soon after getting your crowns should also be reported to your dentist.
Dental crowns may help you get back the stunning, radiant smile that will boost your self-confidence. Talk to your dentist to find out if dental crowns will be right for you and how soon you can get them.
