A cavity in a tooth can usually be repaired with a composite resin filling; however, if the tooth has previously incurred decay making an additional filling risky, our dentist may opt to repair decay using dental crowns.
Your primary goal should be to save your biological teeth to serve you for your entire lifetime. While a dental crown covers up the base of your tooth, placing the crown allows you to keep that base. If the tooth required extraction, a replacement would be needed to prevent remaining teeth from shifting.
A lost tooth produces a gap that can impact the way you speak, the foods you can eat, and even interfere with your appearance. So if a crown is recommended, know this is a wonderful alternative to a lost tooth.
With severe dental decay comes other potential problems. Bacteria may leak through dental enamel resulting in infection. This may mean a root canal is needed before the tooth can be treated. A root canal is a procedure where the contents of a tooth’s root are removed: the dental nerve, blood, and pulp tissue along with any infection present is eliminated. A dental crown will be used to seal the access point to conclude the repair.
If our dentist does recommend a dental crown, you will be presented with many options. Depending on the location of the decay and the tooth impacted an onlay or inlay may be sufficient. These are basically partial crowns.
While metal crowns are still available, the primary material selected for dental crowns is porcelain. Porcelain is stain resistant, strong, and provides a restoration that is compatible with surrounding dentition. Our dentist can match the shape, shade, and size of the crown so closely it is difficult to tell a repaired tooth from your natural teeth.
Caring for a crowned tooth is the same as the care for natural teeth. Brush twice every day with a fluoridated tooth paste; floss daily to remove material your tooth brush can’t reach; and see Dr. Withers twice a year for a thorough cleaning and dental exam. If decay is present, our team can often spot a problem before it has a chance to escalate and make repairs right away.
Call Withers Dentistry today to schedule your next cleaning!