Crowns
A dental crown is a tooth shaped cap, placed over a tooth to cover the tooth either to
restore its shape, size, strength and appearance. The crown, when cemented on the tooth,
fully covers the tooth up to the gum line.
There are several indications for a crown, some are outlined below;
- 1. To restore a broken tooth or a severely worn down tooth
- 2. To protect a weak tooth
- 3. To cover and support a tooth with large filling
- 4. To hold a dental bridge in place
- 5. To correct a misshapen tooth or cover a discoloured tooth
- 6. To cover a dental implant
- 7. To improve the general aesthetic appearance of the person
Crowns can be made of different matenials such as stainless steel, gold, silver, porcelain with a metal alloy, zirconia, resin (temporary crowns) and other materials.
Preparation of the tooth to receive a permanent crown often consist of two visits.
1st Visit
The dentist will take an x-ray of the tooth and perform a root canal if the tooth is infected or damaged, after which the crown portion of the tooth is prepared under local anaesthetic, and an impression of the tooth is taken.This impression is sent to the dental laboratory for the preparation of the permanent crown.
A temporary crown will be fabricated during this visit on the chair side by the dentist and fitted on the prepared tooth to protect it while waiting for the permanent crown.
2nd Visit
The dentist will remove the temporary crown, check the fit and colour of the permanent crown and if all is acceptable, the new crown will be permanently cemented in place.