Essential Things to Know Before Getting a Dental Crown

Losing a tooth, whether partially or entirely, can be a traumatic experience. Apart from excruciating pain and discomfort, it can lead to functional problems and speech issues and can even affect your appearance and confidence. Fortunately, dental crowns can help you recover from damage to missing teeth.

Many Floridians want a solution for their decayed, broken, or lost teeth. If you are also one of them, then a Fort Myers dental crown bridge specialist can help you regain your dental health, speech capabilities, and appearance.

Benefits of getting dental crowns

There are several benefits of getting a dental crown to replace your damaged or lost tooth. However, the following are the most prominent ones.

A dental crown can protect your tooth from further damage like decay, erosion, wear and tear, and much more. A dental crown is also used for protecting a root canal treated tooth.
Dental crowns can elevate your appearance and smile by correcting the shape, size, alignment, and shade of your teeth.
Dental crowns are also capable of restoring your bite, chewing, and speech functionality.
Since a dental crown can last for up to 15 years, it can significantly improve your tooth life.
Dental crowns are also used as anchors for bridges to hold the suspended fake teeth between two real teeth.
Moreover, your dentist can customize a crown to fit over your damaged tooth and its surrounding area.
Dental crowns are highly durable and strong, and the procedure to place them is minimally invasive.

How does a dental crown work?

The dental crown procedure is a comprehensive process. Your dentist will follow certain steps to ensure that you get a dental crown of great quality and fit.

The first thing your dentist will do is assess the extent of the damage your tooth has incurred. Depending on the severity and type of the damage, the dentist will recommend a dental crown or another suitable restorative treatment.
Next, your dentist will trim the damaged tooth to bring it to an ideal shape and size so that the crown can fit comfortably over it.
In the next step, the dentist will take the impression of your tooth that’ll receive the dental crown. The impression is then forwarded to the lab for creating a customized crown.
Meanwhile, your dentist will place a temporary crown over your damaged tooth to protect the trimmed tooth.
Once the dentist receives your customized dental crown, you can get your temporary crown replaced with a permanent one. However, it may take a few weeks. You may feel a little discomfort, but you can get used to it pretty quickly.

Different types of dental crowns

Following are some common types of dental crowns preferred by dentists all over the world.

Metal crowns: Metal crowns are made of metals like gold, nickel, chromium, or palladium. They are highly durable, require minimal enamel removal, and don’t easily break or chip.
Porcelain fused to metal crowns: Porcelain fused to metal crowns have the natural look of porcelain and the durability of metal. Another benefit of porcelain fused to a metal crown is that it can match the natural shade of your tooth.
Pressed ceramic crowns: Pressed ceramic crowns have a ceramic core that has been melted and pressed in the oven at a very high temperature followed by adding various layers of porcelain.
All ceramic crowns: All ceramic crowns are highly suitable for those who have metal allergies. They can mimic the natural appearance of your tooth and tend to feel gentle on the opposing teeth.
All resin crowns: All resin crowns are used by dentists as temporary crowns, which is why they are less expensive and more fragile.

Potential risks of dental crown

Although very rare, the following are some potential risks of a dental crown procedure.

You may experience increased tooth sensitivity during the first few days after the procedure.
If the crown does not fit properly, food and bacteria trapped under it can cause tooth decay.
Poor oral hygiene can cause problems like plaque around the crown, gum diseases, and even tooth loss.
Crowns can, sometimes, chip or fracture.
Some people may be allergic to metal crowns.
If your crown doesn’t fit properly, you may experience bite issues.

Final thoughts

Dental crowns can provide you with excellent solutions for several types of dental problems while also enhancing your smile and boosting your confidence. However, you have to choose a professional dentist to ensure that your dental crown does the desired job.