Dental crowns have both cosmetic and medical advantages, seeing as they can improve the aesthetic appeal of a patient’s smile and aid their overall oral health. As such the dental crown is becoming more common in the popular field of cosmetic dentistry.
A dental crown is used if a patient has lost a portion or the whole of a tooth; this can happen through trauma or poor oral health. Apart from the obvious improvement to the smile not having a chipped tooth can have, filling in a gap in the tooth line can greatly benefit the oral health of a patient.
A gap in between teeth where a tooth has been lost or chipped can become a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria and can be very difficult to clean, thus leading to further damages to nearby teeth. Think of it as a chip in your car window; while the initial chip might not be too serious it has the potential to weaken further and spread, becoming a large crack.
A dental crown removes this threat. This is done through the removal of some of the natural tooth tissue to create a ‘seat’ for the crown to sit. This is done under local anaesthetic, numbing the patient from the pain. After this the dentist will take an impression of the tooth to be sent off to a lab to create the crown. While this is being done the patient will be fitted with a temporary crown until the permanent one is ready; this usually takes around two weeks although the timing can vary.
Once the crown is created and has arrived at the dentist office the patient can return and have the permanent crown secured in place. This is done by numbing the tooth a second time before removing the temporary crown and cementing the new one in place.
After this kind of procedure it is common for the patient to feel slight pain or aching in the area so don’t panic if this happens.
