Dental crowns are the solution to many dental issues. Basically, they help to restore teeth that are damaged. This helps to restore tooth function and many other benefits. Dental crowns are made from a few materials to provide you the best option to meet your individual needs. You have the option of choosing from metal and porcelain, but porcelain provides a natural appearance that proves most aesthetically-pleasing. There are other benefits to choosing porcelain dental crowns. We offer different options and our Century City dentist is more than happy to answer your questions.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are also referred to as "caps." They cover a tooth in entirety to help restore dental function and give the appearance of a natural tooth, if a natural-looking crown is chosen. It is designed by taking an impression of the patient's mouth. Other factors are taken into consideration to provide the right fit. For example, your dentist will make sure your new crown is comfortable by asking you to bite down on it. The goal is to make sure the tooth fits naturally in your mouth.
The Process of Placing Porcelain Dental Crown Los Angeles
Your existing tooth will need to be reshaped to fit the crown. Our Los Angeles dentist will remove all damaged and decayed material. In some instances, a root canal will need to be done before placing your crown. A temporary crown can help to cover your tooth to prevent further decay or damage while your customized tooth is being made.
Dental crowns provide numerous benefits:
- Better oral health—Missing teeth or teeth that are left damaged create an environment for additional places for plaque to hide.
- "Saving" teeth—Crowns prevent teeth from falling out.
- Correcting the patient's bite—Missing teeth can cause other teeth to shift, and this can throw off the patient's bite.
- Preserving bone mass by avoiding tooth loss—The jaw loses bone mass when one or more teeth are missing.
- Repairing damaged teeth
- Increasing tooth strength—Crowns reinforce teeth to create a stronger tooth for chewing.
- Restoring tooth function—It's hard to eat or drink with a damaged or decayed tooth. Dental crowns fix this issue.
- Restoring teeth affected by teeth grinding
- Serving as a tooth for dental implants—A crown is used on top of an implant to create the look of a natural tooth.
Cosmetic Benefits of Dental Crowns
Metal and porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns offer all of the benefits listed above, but porcelain dental crowns are most appealing because they look like natural teeth. The color of your crown will be made to match your surrounding teeth. Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns may begin to appear grey after time as the metal starts to show through the porcelain. This is why porcelain dental crowns are preferred.
Porcelain dental crowns do not require as much of the natural tooth to be removed as a metal crown or porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crown. This helps to create a stronger tooth to adhere the crown, and it helps to save more of the natural tooth. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns can wear down neighboring teeth because they are more abrasive than porcelain crowns. Contact us immediately to schedule your consultation.