Dental Crowns are known as “caps,” preserve the functionality of damaged teeth.
This common dental restoration may be used to protect a cracked tooth, restore functionality of a tooth with excessive decay or replace a pre-existing crown. It encases a needy tooth with a custom-designed material. Nowadays Dentists have a variety of conservative treatment options through which to restore teeth.
Types of Crowns
The three predominant choices of restorative materials for the full coverage crowns are:
- Porcelain-fused-to-metal
- All-ceramic (all-porcelain)
- Gold
The material selected is determined by the clinical demands at hand; aesthetic demands, strength requirements, material durability and restorative space available.
The Dental Crown Procedure – How it Works
To perform the crown procedure, your dentist prepares the tooth and makes a molded impression of the teeth to send to a dental laboratory. A fitted, temporary crown is created during this visit to temporarily protect the tooth while the final restoration is being made in the dental laboratory. Once completed, the crown can be cemented or adhesively bonded at a later visit.
A recent technology, CAD/CAM technology (computer-aided design/manufacturing technology) has evolved to display a 3-D picture of the teeth. A restoration is then created through milling of a ceramic block. If this technology is located in the dental office (chair-side CAD/CAM), there will be no need for a temporary or return visit for the final cementation.
