There’s an old saying that goes, “A team is only as strong as its weakest link.” This is usually true, especially in dentistry. Essentially, your teeth and gums work together as individual members of our mouth’s team to create a strong, stable smile. Why risk the stability of one of the most important teams in your body? By procrastinating treatment for a fragile tooth, you’re leaving your smile vulnerable to fractures or a spreading infection. Dental crowns in Crete are offered to keep our smiles durable and established, the goal being to have no weak links within our patient’s mouths.
What is a dental crown?
Crete Family Dental offers a great dental restoration option known as a dental crown. A dental crown is a restoration designed to completely cover or “cap” an individual tooth. This process significantly improves the tooth’s health, appearance, and position within the smile. There are several reasons Dr. Rossini may recommend having a crown placed, including:
- Restoring a large area of decay that’s too severe for a filling
- Rebuilding the structure of a badly injured or fractured tooth
- Protecting a weak tooth from the threat of fracture
- Giving an extremely discolored tooth a gorgeous makeover
- Restoring a tooth that’s undergone root canal therapy
- Restoring a dental implant
What is the process of getting a new dental crown?
The procedure for installing a dental crown normally takes two separate office visits. Dr. Rossini makes sure the procedure you’re planning to undergo is absolutely necessary and able to take place in a timely manner.
At your first appointment, we will make sure your tooth can support a crown, then begin filing it down to prepare for the crown’s placement. Alternatively, if the tooth is severely damaged or broken, your dentist may need to fill it in to make it large enough to receive the crown. After the tooth is filed or filled to the proper shape, your practitioner will take an impression of the tooth, as well as those surrounding it, and send that information to a dental lab. The lab will then create the permanent crown. By the end of this first visit, your tooth will have a temporary crown that protects you from further discomfort until the final crown is permanently placed.
At your second appointment, the temporary crown is removed. Your Crete dentist will position and fasten the new, permanent crown to the tooth with a special adhesive.
How long will my dental crown last?
Once your dental crown procedure is complete, it may take some getting used to. After some time has passed, the crown should look, function, and feel like a regular tooth. The best way to care for your dental crown is by combining routine check-ups at Crete Family Dental and diligent oral hygiene at home. If you get a crown, stay aware of what you are eating. Eating especially hard foods such as hard candies or chewing ice could cause breakage. This dental restoration should last anywhere from five years to twenty-five years, giving our patients long-lasting, stable results! Many properly maintained cases last for the rest of the patient’s life.
Do you think getting a dental crown could improve your oral health? Contact our Crete Family Dental Office to get more information or schedule an appointment!