When patients experience severe tooth decay and damage or need to protect and strengthen a root canal treated tooth, dental crowns are the ideal restorative dentistry solution to recreate lost tooth structure and protect your remaining healthy tooth. If you’ve been told you need a dental crown, you may have some questions. In this post, we’ll walk you through answers to some of those questions we hear from patients most often about dental crown restorations.
What Types of Dental Crowns are Available?
Dental crowns can be crafted from a variety of materials each with their own unique benefits, including:
- Gold – offers strength and durability, but does not match the appearance of your smile
- Porcelain fused to metal – looks more like a natural smile with the durability of gold below the porcelain, but the porcelain layer wears away over time
- All-ceramic – these crowns provide the most cosmetic solution, delivering smiles that look like your natural teeth for the life of the dental crown
How are Dental Crowns Placed?
Dental crowns are placed in two trips to the dentist’s office. During the first appointment, we prepare teeth by removing damaged tissue and a small amount of tooth enamel all the way around the tooth. This allows the dental crown to fit into your natural smile line. Then, we capture impressions of the smile that will be used by the lab to craft your dental crown. Next, a temporary crown is placed to protect your prepared teeth. When your final restoration is received from the lab, you can return to our office to exchange your temporary for a custom dental crown.
How do I Care for Dental Crowns?
If you have a porcelain fused to metal or all-ceramic dental crown, you may need to switch some of your oral hygiene products to avoid excessive wear. We recommend using soft bristled toothbrushes and minimally abrasive toothpaste. You may also want to use a waxed floss or water flosser to avoid tugging around the edges of your dental restoration.
Meet Dr. Reed
Skilled Lincoln dentist, Jennifer Reed, DDS, FICOI, is dedicated to helping patients maintain their healthiest smiles. She prides herself on offering patients flawless looking and feeling dental crowns even for those cases that are difficult to match. In her Lincoln dental office, patients are comfortable throughout the treatment process, and they leave the office with flawless, healthy smiles. If you want to learn more about dental crowns or any of our other dentistry services, call to schedule a treatment consultation appointment at Smile Specialties of Lincoln today. We look forward to helping you fully restore your flawless, healthy smile.
