How Do Dental Crowns Work?
Dental crowns are caps placed over weak, damaged, or imperfect teeth to offer additional support and strength or to cover up dental imperfections. Dental crowns are also used as a tooth restoration in dental bridges and dental implants to entirely replace a missing tooth.
Crowns cover every surface of existing teeth that are chipped, cracked, discolored, misshaped, uneven, worn down, or have received a root canal. All of these conditions make the tooth vulnerable or aesthetically displeasing. By covering the tooth with a durable dental crown, the appearance, structure, and function of the tooth are restored.
Teeth that are missing most of their structure or have undergone dental trauma can cut the inside of the mouth or become further damaged by wear and tear if the natural tooth is used for chewing.
However, by placing a dental crown overtop the tooth, the crown can withstand significant chewing forces and wear and tear over many years. If you’re interested in dental crowns in Rothschild or Wausau, contact us at Skutak Dental today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Lisa M. Skutak.
Types of Dental Crowns We Offer
Zirconia - Zirconia is a very durable crown material with an opaque white appearance. Zirconia is not as natural in appearance as porcelain crowns but they are more suitable for the rear molars due to their ability to withstand forces such as chewing and grinding.
Zirconia crowns are just as durable as metal crowns. Zirconia crowns are a good choice to cover teeth with large fillings or to protect a tooth that has received a root canal.
Porcelain - Porcelain crowns are the most natural-looking of all dental crowns. They are tooth-colored and made from the same material as veneers so they can blend in seamlessly with the rest of your natural teeth or cover up a discolored tooth.
While porcelain crowns are the most aesthetically pleasing and desirable crowns for the front teeth or teeth that show when you smile, they are not nearly as durable as zirconia. Porcelain is prone to chipping, cracking, and becoming damaged from wear and tear.
Because porcelain is not well suited to withstand significant force, these crowns are not ideal for use in the rear molars or to cover large fillings.
The Crown Placement Process
Before we can place a dental crown, we have to prepare the tooth by filing down the enamel. For the crown to fit over the tooth and blend in with the rest of your teeth without sticking out, we need to remove at least 2 mm of enamel from your tooth. We administer local anesthesia so this process will be painless.
After the tooth has been prepared, we can take an impression of your teeth to send to the dental lab that will fabricate your dental crown. The lab technicians will create a dental crown that perfectly fits over your tooth, matches in color (for porcelain crowns), and conforms to your bite.
It takes a couple of weeks to create dental crowns so you will receive a temporary crown to protect your tooth until it is ready. Once the crowns arrive at our Rothschild office, you will return for a separate appointment to have the crown fitted and cemented into place.
Benefits of Dental Crowns
- Cover up a variety of dental imperfections
- Durable and long-lasting
- Strengthen and restore teeth
- Assist with chewing and speech
- Can appear very natural
- Crowns do not shift around
- They can replace a missing tooth (bridge or implant)
- Protect teeth from wear and tear
- Protect teeth with significant structure missing
- Complete a root canal treatment to prevent reinfection and damage
