Dental crowns are tooth shaped “covers” that are used to completely cap or protect teeth and are created with an indirect method, meaning outside of the mouth. Crowns can be used in many applications by Dr. Randy J. Greenberg in Wallingford, CT and for various reasons, but the most common use is for the restoration of deteriorating teeth that have large fillings or advanced decay. Most importantly, they save the ongoing health of teeth by improving strength, while also bettering the esthetics of your smile.
Dental crowns are typically applied to individual teeth, but can also be utilized to treat multiple teeth at one time, also known as a
dental bridge. Both procedures are almost identical. Read more about our dental bridge procedure here.
Removal of Existing Crowns
Before an existing crown is removed, a local anesthetic is given to numb the tooth and surrounding tissues. (Sometimes a rubber damn is placed to surround the tooth that is being treated. The rubber damn may be used to manage the water produced during removal and also to prevent any debris from falling into the patient’s throat. Following this, all of the old material and any additional decay are removed. The tooth is then ready to be prepared to receive a new dental crown.
Additional Uses for Dental Crowns
• Root canal therapy
In this instance, crowns are used for strength and protection because teeth tend to become more brittle and weak after a root canal.
• Dental implants
Once the implant is in place, a dental crown is created as the prostheses to cover the implant.
• Traumatic injury
Dental crowns can be used to fix broken teeth. They have the ability to hold together parts of a cracked tooth, similar to the dental bridge procedure.
• Esthetics
Dental crowns can improve the structure, strength, and appearance of any tooth and are commonly used to improve esthetics when dental veneers are not a viable option.
Dental crowns provide an excellent solution for providing strength to weakened, broken, decayed, or root canal treated teeth. Contact Dr. Greenberg in Wallingford, CT today to learn more about dental crowns.
Why Are Crowns and Veneers So Expensive?
If you want to improve your smile, beautiful custom-made porcelain veneers or crowns are the platinum standard that world-class cosmetic dentists use to create gorgeous smiles. Sometimes referred to as porcelain laminates, veneers are thin, custom-made coverings that go over the face of unsightly teeth.
You may have seen people with unnatural looking dental work that is easy to spot. Perhaps their teeth are white, opaque and block, or maybe you’ve spotted the tell-tale signs of dark metal showing between the porcelain and the gum line. We want our patients smile to appear so naturally beautiful that people will only assume they were born with it. To get this type of result takes a combination of artisans, the cosmetic dentist and the master ceramist.
The first step in the fabrication of the veneers is for the cosmetic dentist to design them in conjunction with the patients’ desires. This is where artistry, science, training and knowledge of materials merge. The dentist must specify the shape, thickness, texture length, colors. Natural teeth are not pure white, but rather have subtle colors – sometimes yellow, blue, purple, or pink – and these vary throughout the tooth. These colors may have to be blended to match adjacent tooth colors. This is accomplished with a special computer similar to matching paint at the hardware store. The cosmetic dentist must communicate the exact specifications for the ceramist to follow.
The most beautiful, realistic crowns and veneers are individually hand made by master ceramists. Each veneer or crown is crafted from special tooth – colored porcelain, than hand painted before firing to create the most natural smile possible. The master ceramists that we use are the same that transform Hollywood stars and supermodels.