A dental crown is a cap placed over a damaged tooth to restore its shape, size, and strength. It is a common procedure that can treat both aesthetic and structural problems of the tooth.
How Do Dental Crowns Work?
Dental crowns are customized to fit your specific tooth. After the tooth is prepared, a digital impression is taken with our Itero scanner of the prepared tooth. The impression is sent to our dental lab, where the custom-designed crown is created. When the crown is ready, Dr. Neely will remove your temporary crown, and will try the permanent one in it's place, then check for a perfect fit. Lastly, crown is permanently cemented in place with a special dental adhesive.
What Are the Uses of Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns serve many purposes:
- They can be used as temporary or permanent fixes for broken teeth. An emergency dental crown can be placed immediately after the teeth have been broken to protect them from further damage until you get to your dentist's office for a more permanent crown.
- They can be used to cover discolored teeth that do not respond to teeth whitening treatments.
- They are used to cover weak teeth susceptible to fractures.
- They support the structure of severely decayed or weak teeth that cannot be restored with a filling or other restorative options.
- They can conceal poorly shaped teeth or make them appear naturally shaped when placed on top of dental bonding procedures.
- They can be used to change a tooth's shape when orthodontic treatment is not necessary or desired.
- They can repair chipped or cracked teeth and make them more aesthetically pleasing by covering the exposed area of the natural tooth with porcelain.
What Is the Procedure For Placing Crowns?
First, Dr. Neely must prepare the tooth by removing the areas that contain damage or decay. In some cases a filling must be placed to build-up the areas of missing structure. This way the crown has a healthy new base to adhere to. After this, digital impressions of your tooth are taken to create your customized crown. During this process, an adhesive material is used to attach temporary crowns to protect your tooth until your new permanent crown is ready. Meanwhile, you may experience sensitivity during this period; however, it will go away as soon as you get your permanent restoration in place.
Wish to schedule an appointment with us? Call Dentist Edmond OK at (405) 302-0100 or visit our office at 2408 NW 178th St, Edmond, OK 73012.