Your Dental Crown Guide

Dental care includes preventative, restorative, and cosmetic procedures. One popular cosmetic procedure is a dental crown, which may be required on weak teeth or after root canal treatment. However, porcelain crowns can give you a beautiful smile. If you would like to know more about dental crowns, keep reading.

Types of Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are made from various materials, including composite resin, all-porcelain, metal, and porcelain-fused-to-metal. Composite resin crowns are usually the most affordable, and they are tooth-colored. Composite resin, however, is a weak material, so it won't last as long as other options.

Like composite resin, all-porcelain crowns are tooth-colored, but they look more like natural tooth tissue compared to composite resin. They are also more expensive and durable. However, they are not as strong as metal crowns, which are the strongest option. Of course, metal crowns are unsightly and can distract from your smile.

Porcelain crowns are excellent for front teeth, but back teeth need something strong like metal. If you don't want plain metal, however, you can choose porcelain-fused-to-metal, which is stronger than all-porcelain. They aren't ideal for front teeth because the metal may show through along the gumline.

Good Candidates for Dental Crowns

The procedure to get dental crowns permanently alters your teeth. The dentist removes the enamel, leaving the tooth vulnerable to decay without a crown. If cosmetic concerns are your only problem, crowns may not be a good choice. You could choose alternative options like invisible braces, veneers, bonding, or teeth whitening.

If your teeth are also weak, however, dental crowns are an excellent idea. Not only will they fix many cosmetic issues, but they strengthen weak teeth. In this case, getting those beautiful crowns could prevent more tooth loss in the future.

Dental crowns hide many cosmetic concerns. Because they replace the tooth's enamel, they can correct stubborn discoloration, small chips, and cracks. The dentist can design the crowns to fill in gaps, correct mild overcrowding, and make teeth look longer/shorter.

Dental Care After Crowns             

After you get dental crowns, you need to care for them, which usually involves regular brushing and flossing. The crown can't start to rot, but brushing and flossing remove debris around the gum line, which is the only vulnerable spot on dental crowns.

The crown sits flush against the gums, but irritation from plaque and tartar causes gum recession, which exposes the tooth's root. The root is not protected by the dental crown or tooth enamel. If decay starts to develop, it could spread under the crown.

Dental crowns are a great way to fix severely damaged teeth and correct many cosmetic issues. With good care, they can last a long time. If you would like to know more, contact a dental crown provider in your area today. 

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