Reasons You May Need Dental Crowns

CrownsSome people are blessed with a perfect set of teeth. Others struggle with tooth decay, gum disease, and the effects of wear and tear. Your dentist in Salisbury, MD, Dr. Kathleen Geipe, sometimes recommends a predictable and realistic dental restoration to preserve a tooth which otherwise may be lost. This restoration is called a dental crown. Read the reasons why your dentist places dental crowns.

What is a crown?

The old-fashioned term is cap, but whether you call it a cap or a crown, this durable and versatile restoration protects and strengthens weakened tooth structure. It also recreates a tooth's natural shape, color, and beauty, blending in well with neighboring teeth.

Most of today's crowns are custom-made according to imprints made with impression putty or digital imaging. Dentists, such as Dr. Geipe in Salisbury, choose durable gold, porcelain fused to metal or, the most frequent option, realistic dental porcelain.

Professionals prefer porcelain because it is easily milled and colored to replicate real tooth enamel. Plus, this material withstands the substantial forces of biting and chewing, no matter where the crown is located in the mouth.

Reasons for crowns

Dentists advise crown placement to avoid tooth extraction and its subsequent problems such as bone and gum recession and tooth migration, or drifting to fill a smile gap. Also, your doctor advises a crown to:

  • Cover a cracked or chipped tooth (if a veneer cannot do the job)
  • Support a tooth which has suffered deep decay or root canal therapy
  • Beautify a stained or misshapen tooth
  • Support a fixed bridge
  • Restore a dental implant

Being able to receive a crown means that your tooth has sufficient remaining structure and is basically healthy below the gum line. A crown restores that tooth's longevity and ability to chew and bite properly.

The procedure

Typically it takes two appointments with Dr. Geipe and involves:

  1. Removal of decayed or damaged enamel
  2. Reshaping of remaining enamel for proper crown fit
  3. Oral impressions
  4. Fitting of a temporary crown
  5. Milling of the new restoration at a trusted dental lab in the area
  6. Removal of the temporary restoration
  7. Bonding the new crown over the prepared tooth
  8. Adjustment of dental bite

When a dentist and patient consider a crown, they must discuss the treatment timeline, permanency of the crown (once a crown, always a crown) and finances, says the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. All in all, a crown is a marvelous tooth makeover and can last ten years or more with diligent at-home hygiene and regular check-ups with Dr. Geipe.

Could you benefit from a crown?

Ask Dr. Geipe during a restorative dentistry consultation in Salisbury, MD. Call the office today for an appointment: (410) 543-0599.

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