A dental crown is a type of cap that covers the visible tooth and is cemented into place to provide a permanent fixture. Dental crowns are used to protect, strengthen, restore the shape and repair a tooth.
Crowns are used when a tooth has become weakened or cracked. They can hold together a broken tooth or reinforce a badly worn tooth. Crowns are sometimes used to support a tooth that has had a large filling installed and little natural tooth remains.
A crown strengthens your existing, damaged tooth so as to preserve its functionality. Dental crowns are also commonly known as caps (because a crown sits over your existing tooth, covering the entire outer surface).
Why you might need a crown?
- If your tooth has undergone significant decay and there is not enough tooth structure remaining to support a filling or an inlay and maintain functionaility.
- If a large portion of your tooth has fractured and it cannot be built up using traditional composite bonding techniques .
- If you have a large cavity and opt for the additional protection a crown offers to your tooth over a large composite filling or an inlay.
- If you have had a dental implant to replace a missing tooth, a crown will be fitted to the abutment of the titanium implant.
- Following root canal treatment, a crown is often needed to strengthen the tooth.
- If you grind your teeth and have a poor diet, acid erosion may reduce your teeth to a point where the only option available is to crown them.
- For cosmetic reasons, to improve the aesthetics of your smile, you may opt for all porcelain cosmetic crowns.
