Crowns

Dental crowns (“tooth caps”) are one of dentistry’s most versatile restorations. They offer a way to rebuild and strengthen damaged or compromised teeth and provide a way by which a tooth’s overall appearance (color, shape and even apparent alignment) can be vastly improved. A crown is a type of dental restoration that, when cemented into place, fully cups over that portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line. Since it encases the entire visible aspect of a tooth, a dental crown, in effect, becomes the tooth’s new outer surface. Crowns can be made out of porcelain (tooth-colored dental ceramic), metal (a gold or other metal alloy), or a combination of both (porcelain-fused-to-metal).

A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:
– To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
– To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
– To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth left
– To hold a dental bridge in place
– To cover mis-shapened or severely discolored teeth
– To cover a dental implant