Dental Crown Information.

What is a Dental Crown?

Dental crowns are placed to save a tooth when normal fillings will not suffice, due to:

1. Extensive decay;
2. A portion of the tooth has been lost;
3. A non-vital tooth requires protection;
4. A tooth has developed cracks;
5. To make a discoloured tooth look more natural.

Unlike normal fillings that sit inside or bond to the surface of a tooth – a crown is like a cap that covers the entire tooth structure and is cemented in place. It is made of inherently strong materials, cast metal, fused ceramics and fired porcelain. Crowns actually impart strength to the remaining tooth structure.

Crowns prevent splitting of the tooth – in much the same way as a metal band around a fence post holds the post together. Crowns are usually required on teeth that have undergone endodontic (root canal) treatment. This is because being nonvital (dead), they are more brittle than normal teeth.

These teeth often have large amounts of tooth missing, further weakening them. In addition to the crown, root filled teeth may require a cast post core be fabricated to connect the crown to the empty portion of the root canal to further strengthen the tooth.

When large portions of a tooth are missing due to tooth decay or as a result of an accident, crowns offer a means to effectively restore aesthetics and function. Crowns are mostly made of Ceramic nowadays which can be made to look like your surrounding teeth. Ceramic crowns are used when a patient considers aesthetics to be important as these crowns match adjacent teeth very closely. These crowns are often placed on front teeth to improve the appearance, of worn or discoloured teeth.

Limestone Dental make all their crowns locally, by making their Dental Crowns in Ipswich they are able to offer a faster turn around and in some emergencies same day repairs.

Crown Care and Maintenance

Long term studies place the average crown life at 10 – 15 years : – dental decay, gum disease, and crown or root fracture are common causes of failure. Your dentist will be able to give you more guidance about the care and long term prognosis of a crown in your own personal situation.

What’s Involved

Generally, three appointments will be required for the fabrication of a crown and these procedures can be performed by your own dentist.

Appointment 1
The first appointment is brief and involves taking a set of impressions.

Appointment 2
The second appointment is usually between 1-2 hours long and involves preparing the tooth ready to accept the crown. A second set of impressions are taken in order to help make the crown in the lab and a temporary crown is placed for the short term

Appointment 3
Depending on what type of crown has been chosen by the patient and dentist, it can take anywhere between 5 – 10 days to fabricate.

For more information on Dental Crowns, call Limestone Dental on 07 3281 1466 or Book in an appointment today