Dental Crown

Dental crowns are a principal treatment in restorative dentistry to help people regain the function and feeling of a broken, worn, cracked, or decayed tooth. When teeth become misshapen, they can no longer function properly. Without treatment, the tooth may need to be removed to prevent further decay.

A crown is a natural-looking cap placed over a tooth after the restorative dentist removes the affected areas. This could mean smoothing out a worn part of the tooth’s hard surface or performing a root canal on a severely decayed tooth. There are 4 types of dental crowns, including metal porcelain fused to metal, pressed ceramic, porcelain, and all-resin.

Metals such as gold, nickel, and chromium can be molded into durable dental crowns that last longer than others, though the appearance is not as natural. Typically only back teeth are eligible for metal crowns. To achieve a more natural appearance for front teeth, dentists may use porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns (PFM), which take advantage of the natural appearance of porcelain and the strength of metal.

Pressed ceramic and porcelain crowns use multiple layers of material to simulate the natural surface of the original tooth enamel. Though not as durable, these crowns often look the best. The least expensive crowns, all-resin crowns, are also the most fragile compared to other materials. These are most often used to make temporary crowns for extended restoration treatments or while waiting for a permanent crown.

Modern dentists can take advantage of computer-aided scanning and printing techniques to offer same-day dental crowns. After the program scans the patient’s 3D oral structures, an on-site machine can “print” the crown from ceramic. These crowns may not be indicated in every situation, but feel free to ask your dentist to see if your exam and crown fitting can take place in the same visit.