A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that restores the form, function, appearance and strength of a natural tooth. Your dentist may recommend a dental crown in the following situations:

• A large cavity (tooth decay) that compromises the integrity of the natural tooth structure where a filling would not be sufficient.
• A tooth that is cracked, fractured or severely worn down.
• A tooth with an existing large filling that has cracked, fractured or developed a cavity around or underneath (recurrent decay).
• To improve the appearance of severely discolored, misshapen or previously filled teeth.
• To cover a dental implant.
• To cover and protect a tooth that has had a root canal treatment.
• To support a dental bridge.

Your dentist will discuss the recommended treatment with you, explaining our findings and showing you images and X-rays of your tooth. We will educate you on all of the treatment options available and provide our recommendations to empower you to make an informed decision on your care. We typically recommend treatment sooner rather than later – dental problems like tooth decay and fracture can progress and worsen over time, making it more difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to restore your tooth to full function. Treating your tooth with a crown now can often prevent the need for future costly treatment, such as root
canal treatment or tooth extraction and need for tooth replacement.

What to expect when getting dental crown treatment:

1. An initial impression of your teeth will be taken. This will be used to make a temporary crown for your tooth while the final crown is being made by our laboratory.
2. An initial shade of your tooth will be taken. We aim to match your dental crown as closely to your natural teeth as possible. For front teeth, we may have you come in for a custom shade appointment where a laboratory technician takes photos and notes to ensure an accurate crown shade that blends in with your other teeth.
3. Your dentist will gently numb the area of the tooth that will receive the crown. We first use a topical numbing jelly followed by a local anesthetic to ensure your comfort throughout the procedure.
4. Your dentist will prepare the tooth for a crown. This involves careful, meticulous trimming of the outermost layer of the tooth to provide space to accommodate a crown. Additionally, the dentist will remove decay, fracture lines and existing filling material as necessary to ensure a healthy, sound tooth foundation for the crown.
5. An impression will be taken of the tooth, either using our 3D intraoral scanner or impression material. This impression will be used by the laboratory to carefully craft a crown to fit perfectly over your tooth.
6. A temporary crown will be made and cemented onto your tooth. You will leave this appointment with the temporary crown in place, then return in about one to two weeks when the final crown comes back from the lab for final cementation.
7. Once the crown returns from the lab, we will take off the temporary crown, try in the new crown to assess the fit and shade, and take a final X-ray of the crown to ensure it fits adequately.
8. Once adequately checked and perfected, your dentist will carefully cement the crown onto your tooth. We will check your bite and ensure you can floss well with your new crown.

How long do crowns last? As your dentists, we ensure that your case is adequately handled by taking quality impressions, working closely with our laboratory, meticulously checking the fit of the crown and ensuring optimal cementation for long-term results. Beyond that, we carefully check the margins of the crown clinically and on X-ray with your routine visits. It is important for the patient to take good care of their crown by maintaining regular dental checkups and cleanings. While crowns are a great treatment for protecting our natural teeth, they are susceptible to decay and fracture just like natural teeth. If a crown develops decay underneath or is fractured or dislodged, it will need to be replaced. We often recommend that patients who have had a dental crown placed wear a night guard to protect the crown from heavy biting, clenching or grinding forces that can cause the crown to move slightly and even dislodge.

Dentist-Recommended Resources:
https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/crowns
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/10923-dental-crowns