Crowns

Crowns are often necessary for teeth that are weakened and prone to fracture such as teeth that are cracked, broken, misshapen, have a large amount of tooth structure missing such as large fillings or teeth that have had root canal therapy.

When a tooth fractures, it may break too far below the gum line or in a manner which makes it impossible to restore. We aim to prevent this fracturing by essentially “tying” the tooth together with a crown.

If the tooth has already fractured and a significant amount of tooth structure is missing, many times it is necessary to perform a build-up prior to creating and placing a crown. A build-up is basically a large filling that acts as a foundation for the crown. Most times we can do the build-up and preparation for the crown at the same appointment. Sometimes, we may do just the build-up and wait for the crown preparation to make sure the tooth is not exhibiting any symptoms of further damage.

After the crown prep is done, we then take an impression of the tooth and surrounding teeth.  A local dental lab will use this impression to construct your new crown. We will make a temporary crown for you to wear until your crown is back from the lab. You will return in a few weeks to receive your new crown.

Gold vs Porcelain - When constructing crowns we have a choice between a gold crown or a porcelain (tooth-colored) crown. Gold has proven to be one of the most durable materials we use in dentistry. Preparing a tooth for a gold crown is more conservative than a porcelain preparation. However, gold crowns are not as esthetic as tooth-colored crowns.

Porcelain is very esthetic and when done correctly is indistinguishable from a natural tooth.  The preparation for this type of crowns removes a little more tooth structure because more room is necessary for the porcelain. Porcelain is not as durable as gold and can fracture.

Porcelain Fracture -  If a porcelain crown fractures, sometimes it can be smoothed and will still function adequately. However, if the fracture is large enough, the crown will need to be re-made. At this time there is no way to “repair” fractured porcelain crowns. There are many products available that claim they can successfully patch them, however we have yet to come across a material that lives up to these claims.