Protect and keep badly decayed or fractured teeth.

The Problem:

• Badly decayed teeth
• Fractured teeth
• Need to protect and strengthen teeth

The Solution:

A crown (often called a cap) covers the tooth and restores it to its original shape and size. Decay is removed and cleaned from the tooth and in most cases a scan is taken of the prepared surface with our state of the art #D technology, called a Prime Scan.  Typically there is no longer a need to do a traditional mold or impression.  This scan is then used to create a model of the tooth which is sent to a milling unit that will create a porcelain (tooth colored) crown. The crown is then cemented onto the prepared surface of the tooth.  This is all done in one convenient appointment.

Advantages:

Crowns are an incredibly strong material and a wonderful treatment option to restore teeth. They protect and strengthen the remaining tooth structure giving patients the ability to chew and eat without worry.  In the hands of a skilled dentist, a crown will fit almost perfectly onto the prepared surface of the tooth, reducing the size of the seam between the crown and the tooth. This helps keep decay from eventually occurring under the crown and gives patients a restoration that should last years. 

Crowns should be placed before the tooth is so decayed that it may fracture. This can often help prevent the expense of root canal therapy in the future. It can also prevent the possibility that a fractured tooth may need to be removed, requiring the expense of a bridge or implant to replace the missing tooth.

Disadvantages:

Crowns are excellent restorations, but do have a few disadvantages. They are highly durable, but they will eventually need to be re-cemented or replaced due to normal wear.

Occasionally, a tooth may still need root canal therapy after being crowned. However, this indicates that the interior of the tooth was already sick (infected) and would have eventually needed root canal therapy anyway.

Alternatives:

In the event that a tooth is so decayed or fractured that it needs to be removed, the best alternatives to a crown are bridges and implants that replace the missing tooth.