Dental Crowns

Dental crowns, also known as “caps,” preserve the functionality of damaged teeth. Crowns may be used to protect a cracked tooth, restore functionality of a tooth with excessive decay, or replace a pre-existing crown. The purpose of a dental crown is to encase a needy tooth with a custom-designed material. Dentists today have a variety of conservative treatment options through which to restore teeth. If possible, these options should be explored and discussed before selecting the full coverage crown.

During the crown procedure, we prepare the tooth and make a molded impression of the teeth to send to a dental laboratory. A fitted, temporary crown is created during this visit to temporarily protect the tooth while the final restoration is being made in the dental laboratory. Once completed, the crown is cemented or adhesively bonded at a later visit.A recent technology, CAD/CAM technology (computer-aided design/manufacturing technology) has evolved to display a 3-D picture of the teeth. A restoration is then created through milling of a ceramic block.

The three predominant choices of restorative materials for the full coverage crowns are:

1. Porcelain-fused-to-metal
2. All-ceramic (all-porcelain)
3. Gold

The material selected is determined by the clinical demands at hand; esthetic demands, strength requirements, material durability and restorative space available.