Dental Crowns Somerville, MA
There are several ways a tooth can be repaired after sustaining damage from decay or trauma. One of the most common and reliable ways dentists can restore both function and form to a defective tooth is by applying a dental crown. Crowns are a versatile restoration: they finish off root canals and fill in empty spaces with a bridge. In many instances, crowns allow the root structure of natural teeth to remain fixed in place while compensating for the loss of the upper portion of the tooth.
If you have a damaged or decayed tooth or need to protect a tooth after a root canal, contact Al-Aswad Dental and schedule an appointment! Our Somerville, MA dentist will examine your tooth carefully and determine if a dental crown is the best course of treatment.
What is a Crown?
A crown is a tooth-colored cap that is custom-made to fit over an existing tooth. It will cover the tooth all the way down to the gum line, providing a protective barrier around the tooth to prevent further damage. Sometimes a person is missing so much of their natural tooth structure that it would be brittle and prone to breakage if not protected by a crown.
Dental crowns provide strength, durability, and longevity to the tooth while also improving the tooth’s overall appearance. While crowns are considered a restorative treatment, they also offer cosmetic benefits. Crowns can be color-matched to the rest of your teeth and look completely realistic, so they easily blend in with your natural teeth.
Reasons You Might Need a Crown
There are many situations in which a dental crown may be the best choice for your smile.
A crown can be used to:
- Cover and restore a chipped or cracked tooth
- Strengthen a severely worn or weak tooth
- Replace a dental filling that is large and unable to fully support the tooth
- Cover a tooth after root canal treatment
- Hold a dental bridge in place
- Prevent a tooth from further damage or cracking
- Improve the overall shape, color, and size of a tooth (and hide imperfections)
- Cover and finish off a dental implant (to replace a missing tooth)
Process For Getting a Dental Crown
Everyone’s teeth are different shapes and sizes, so dental restorations must be made to accommodate these unique differences. Unlike fillings which apply the restorative material directly into your mouth, a crown is fabricated away from your mouth. Your crown is created in a lab from your unique tooth impression which allows a dental laboratory technician to examine all aspects of your bite and jaw movements. Your crown is then sculpted just for you so that your bite and jaw movements function normally once the crown is placed.
After your Somerville dentist prepares your existing tooth, the crown is "cemented" onto the existing tooth and fully covers the portion of your tooth above the gum line. In effect, the crown becomes your tooth's new outer surface. Crowns can be made of porcelain, metal, or both. Porcelain crowns are most often preferred because they mimic the translucency of natural teeth and are very strong.