The Role Of A Dental Crown
If your dentist has recommended that you get a dental crown, then you might be a little apprehensive. However, you should not worry, since the dental crown is an incredibly effective and useful method of replacing damaged and missing teeth. Here's the breakdown on exactly what dental crowns are, how they are installed, and why they are so useful:
What is a dental crown?
A dental crown is a specially-crafted cap which is placed on top of either a damaged tooth or an implant. It can be made from a variety of materials, each of which have a different associated cost, but a blend of ceramic and metal is most common. This allows the crown to both appear similar to a normal tooth and maintain good structural integrity.
How are they installed?
Usually, a crown installation is usually preceded by a root canal. In the event of a root canal, only a fraction of the tooth will be removed and then replaced by a molded crown. The alternative to a crown and root canal is generally to remove the entire tooth and replace it with either dentures or an implant.
A dental implant is a deep foundation that is installed within the gum in order to act as a replacement tooth root. They are often quite expensive, but also last an entire lifetime. Insurance should cover most of the cost, but you will only need dental implants if you are both missing teeth and unwilling to use dentures.
A root canal, on the other hand, is a procedure used to purge infected nerves and tissue from within a tooth. it is a somewhat invasive procedure which removes a large part of a tooth. In order to replace the missing section, a crown is generally required. In these cases, a crown must be specifically molded in order to perfectly fit the shape of the missing tissue.
The actual procedure used in making a crown is fairly simple. On your first visit, your dentist will probably take a very precise mold of the tooth to be crowned. They will then send this analysis into a specialized production facility which will custom-make your crown. In the meantime, you will probably be given a temporary crown in order to provide a bit of protection for the exposed tissue. You will then be called in after several weeks in order for the dentist to install the new crown.
Why are crowns so great?
The main benefit of crowns is that they all people to replace damaged and missing teeth. This means that you will be able to retain all the function of a normal tooth at a relatively low cost. Getting a crown installed is both much simpler and much more comfortable than getting a tooth removed and getting either an implant or dentures. Talk to a dentist like Welch Dental Care for more information.
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