Crowns are often needed in cases where a tooth has fractured, a tooth has had root canal therapy or a tooth has a large cavity or filling present. The tooth in these cases has been severely weakened and placing a large filling will only make the tooth more susceptible to fracture. A crown covers the tooth and will restore it to its original shape and size. The tooth is trimmed down and any decay that is present is removed at that time. Next a highly accurate impression of the tooth is made and sent to the dental laboratory to fabricate your permanent porcelain or gold crown. While the dental laboratory is making your crown, you will wear a temporary crown to cover and protect your tooth. It usually takes the dental lab 2 to 3 weeks to make your permanent crown. Once the crown has come back from the lab, it is tried in and its fit is checked. It is then permanently cemented onto your tooth.
There are many advantages to crowns. They are incredibly strong due to the fact that they are created in a dental laboratory. Crowns protect and strengthen the remaining tooth structure.
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They should fit almost perfectly onto the prepared tooth, reducing the size of the seam between the crown and the tooth. This, in turn, will help to keep decay from eventually recurring under the crown. In the best of circumstances, a crown should be placed on a tooth before it is so decayed that it may fracture or prior to the tooth fracturing. This can help to prevent the possibility of the tooth needing root canal therapy. It can also help to strengthen the tooth, preventing the tooth from fracturing and needing to be extracted and replaced by a bridge, implant or removable partial denture.
There are some disadvantages to crowns though. Crowns are highly durable, but may eventually need to be re-cemented or replaced due to normal wear and tear. Occasionally, a tooth may still need root canal therapy after it has been crowned. However, this indicates that the nerve of the tooth was already infected and would have eventually needed root canal therapy.
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