A crown is a custom restoration that is placed over your tooth in an effort to restore it, protect it, and prolong its longevity.
Crowns are made from a strong, long-lasting material such as porcelain, tooth-colored zirconia, precious metals, or a layered crown that has metal underneath and porcelain on top.
What Are Some Signs That You Need a Crown?
During a dental examination, if our Mesa dentist recommends a crown for one of your teeth, it’s probably because of one of these reasons:
- Your tooth is sensitive to cold temperatures ー Cold sensitivity can be caused by weak enamel, hairline cracks in the tooth, having a large cavity or a big filling, gum recession, tooth wear, or acid erosion. Covering your tooth with a crown may be the only solution to remedy this condition.
- You have a large filling that’s breaking down ー Large fillings tend to break down over time and to get it repaired you would have to remove it and place an even larger filling in the tooth. Filling material isn’t as strong as natural tooth so large fillings aren’t recommended because the teeth can break. Crowns are a better solution in this case because your tooth will be protected from breaking and crowns last longer than fillings do.
- Your tooth is broken ー If you broke a tooth but there is still enough structure left to save, then we can build it back up with a filling material and cover it with a crown to protect it from breaking again.
- Your tooth has stress fractures in it ー Clenching, grinding, large fillings, and biting into something hard can all cause fractures in your teeth. If these cracks worsen, your tooth can break. A crown is a great way to hold your tooth together and stabilize it.
- You’ve had root canal treatment done on a tooth ー This endodontic treatment removes the nerve tissue, which allows you to save and restore your tooth but it also makes it more brittle and puts it at risk for premature wear. Therefore, after most root canal treatments are performed, our dentist in Mesa recommends that you have a crown placed over your tooth to protect it.
Traditional Crowns vs. Same-Day Crowns
Whether you’re getting traditional crowns or same-day crowns, your teeth are prepped in the same manner. The difference comes into play during the impression process and fabrication of your final crown.
Traditional Crowns
For traditional crowns, we will need to take an impression of your tooth, which would then go to a dental laboratory where they will use the mold to see what your tooth looks like and make a custom crown to fit over it.
It usually takes 2-3 weeks for your new restoration to return from the dental lab, so we’ll make you a temporary crown to wear in the meantime.
Once your crown has arrived at our office, you’ll return for a second appointment where we’ll remove your temporary cap and cement your permanent one in place.
Same-Day Crowns
Eastport Dental is equipped with the technology to provide our patients with quick and precise fitting same-day crowns.
Once the tooth is prepped, we take a 3-D digital scan of your mouth with a handheld intraoral wand. Digital impressions are also more accurate replicas of your mouth than traditional messy impressions.
After the scan has been acquired, we use the image to design a crown for you. We consider things such as the margins of the crown (where it meets the natural tooth), the bite against the opposing teeth, the contacts between the neighboring teeth, and the shape it should be. We also select the appropriate material to use for the crown and the shade of the tooth. With everything designed, we send the file to a milling machine in our office lab (similar to a 3D printer) where your crown will be cut out of a solid block of material.
From the time your scan is taken to when your new crown is ready, is about 45 minutes. Feel free to rest comfortably in the treatment room while you wait. Once your new tooth has been fabricated, we’ll cement it in place permanently and you’ll be on your way.
Same-day crowns offer convenience because you don’t have to go weeks with wearing a temporary that you can’t chew well with, and you don’t have to return for a second visit.
Dental Crowns in Mesa, Arizona
If you have a damaged tooth and think that you might need a dental crown, then call Eastport Dental to schedule a consultation.
