Dental Crowns – More Information

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Crowns (caps):

A laboratory fabricated, custom restoration that reproduces the tooth structure exposed in the mouth beyond the gingiva (gums), while holding together and replacing the damaged tooth structure that it is cemented over. Crowns are generally constructed for severely damaged or worn teeth, teeth that have very large fillings, or teeth that have had root canal therapy. They are also made to cover the tops of dental implants used to replace a whole missing tooth.

Treatment consists of numbing, and removal of old fillings and decay (cavities).

Deeper areas of missing tooth structure are replaced before shaping of the tooth begins. Shaping and contouring is the main procedure of crowning a tooth and the most time consuming. After shaping is completed, a very accurate impression (mold) is created of the prepared tooth structures. A temporary crown is then made and cemented over the prepared tooth to protect it while the permanent (real) crown is fabricated by the dental laboratory.

Crowns can be made of different materials to achieve different results.

If the crown is in an area where aesthetics is important, it is made with porcelain to match the surrounding teeth. In cases where esthetics is less of an issue, a crown can be made of gold.

Crowns replace much of the tooth structure as long as they have an adequate amount of tooth upon which to be cemented.