Strengthen the smile with porcelain crowns

At Jonathan J. Golab, DDS, PA, placement of dental crowns is extremely common. Dental crowns are tooth-shaped prosthetics that cap the tooth to restore it to its original shape, function, strength, and aesthetics.

When Do You Need a Crown?

A crown is used to entirely cover the damaged tooth. Dr. Jonathan Golab may recommend you a crown to:

• Cap a badly cracked or damaged tooth.
• Replace a filling when there isn’t enough tooth structure remaining.
• Attach a dental bridge.
• Cover a dental implant.
• Cover a tooth which has undergone a root canal treatment.

Types of Dental Crowns

Dental crowns can be made from a variety of materials:

Metal

Metal crowns can be made of gold or silver alloy, or base-metals like chromium, nickel, and cobalt. These crowns are extremely durable and can withstand large bite force, due to which they are the ideal choice for back teeth restorations. These crowns rarely break, chip, or wear down and do not stain easily. However, because of their metallic color, most people do not prefer to wear them on their front teeth, but they are a good choice for molars.

Porcelain-Fused-To-Metal

Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns can be matched to your natural teeth. However, the metal under the crown can sometimes show through as a dark line, especially if you have receded gums, which can mar the aesthetics of your tooth. As a result, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns are often used to restore molars and premolars. They are also used to create long dental bridges in which metal is required for added strength. These artificial teeth are very durable and look almost like your natural teeth.

A major drawback of porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns is that they can wear down the teeth opposite to them when they come together in a bite.

All-Porcelain

All-porcelain or all-ceramic crowns are most like your natural teeth and are also ideal for people who are allergic to certain metals, like nickel. All-ceramic crowns can be used to restore both your front and back teeth. However, since they only contain porcelain, they are not as strong or durable as porcelain-fused-to-metal teeth. They may also wear down opposing teeth when they grind against them.

All-Resin

Resin crowns are the least expensive and least durable type of crowns. Over time, they wear down and are prone to chips and cracks.

Stainless Steel

Stainless teeth crowns are usually used on primary teeth and on permanent teeth as a temporary measure. The crown protects a prepared tooth while a permanent crown is being made.

For children, a stainless steel crown is made to fit over the entire tooth to prevent it from decay. When the primary tooth falls off, the crown also falls off with it. These crowns are preferred for children as they are cost-effective and do not require multiple visits.

Some Problems With Dental Crown Placement

Although dental crowns placement procedure is almost always successful, in rare cases, a few issues can develop. These include:

• Some heat and cold sensitivity after the anesthesia wears off.
• Pain when biting down, which may mean the crown is placed too high on the tooth.
• Crowns made of resin and porcelain can chip and crack sometimes. They can be temporarily repaired by a resinous mixture and replaced with a new one.
• The cementum can wash out from beneath the crown, causing it to become loose and fall out. This can cause the bacteria to recontaminate the tooth chamber.
• Some materials, like nickel, can cause allergic reactions in patients, but this is quite uncommon.

Dental crowns can last from five years to over 20 years, depending on the material used and your oral hygiene practices. Habits, like chewing on very hard substances and consuming sticky food, can shorten the life of a crown.

If you suspect your crown is damaged, call us at (469) 444-2119 to schedule an appointment.

Our office is also proud to offer Same Day Crowns