CrownsDid you know that we use crowns every day in our practice? Our crowns are not used for decoration, and they are not covered with jewels, but we love them anyway. If you want to learn more about crowns and how we use them in our practice, call us here at Brush & Floss Dental Center and we’d love to take a minute to tell you about crowns. What Are Crowns?Crowns are dental caps we use on your teeth. Instead of doing a spot repair on your tooth, a crown covers the tooth entirely, which is why they are sometimes called dental caps. Crowns have been used to repair teeth for centuries. Not too long ago, we made crowns out of silver and gold. Those crowns were seen as status symbols, because gold teeth were expensive. Now people want crowns that will closely match their natural teeth and will also protect their tooth from further damage. Crowns are usually porcelain over a metal cap, so they are very strong and don’t usually break once we place them. What Are Crowns Used For?We use crowns to correct several issues with your teeth. We may need to use a crown in order to strengthen a weak tooth because of a large filling. This was especially true in the 1970s and 1980s, because we have learned a lot since then. Forty years ago, dentists used to drill a lot more into teeth than they do now. That means when you got a cavity, the dentist would drill into a cavity, and take out the cavity along with a great deal of tooth and tissue to prevent infection or decay. Now, however, we know that over drilling makes the tooth weaker, so we try and remove as little tooth and tissue as possible. A lot of adults that were children in the 1970s or 1980s had this procedure done, and now have large fillings in their teeth. These teeth may develop gaps over time, where there are spaces between your cavity and the rest of your tooth, which means that decay can set in. The tooth is weak, and as you get older, there is a greater chance that the tooth will crack or break. If we crown the tooth, we can save and protect the tooth from more decay or breakage. We also use crowns to cover broken or fractured teeth, because that way we can protect your remaining tooth parts so that when you bite down on a hard bite of food, you won’t swallow a piece of your tooth. Crowns can restore your broken or cracked tooth to its former glory. How Are Crowns Done?Crowns are a relatively simple procedure. We first make a mold of the tooth we need to repair, so that it can match the other teeth in your jaw. We will fit you with a temporary crown to protect the tooth. Once your crown comes in, we will sand your tooth down - just a little - and then cement the crown to your natural tooth. That’s all it takes to protect your tooth. Do you have concerns or questions about crowns? Do you think that you may need a crown? If you have questions, we’d love to help! Give Brush & Floss Dental Center a call at (203) 683-5253 and we’ll see what we can do to help you. |
|
|
