What is a crown and why do I need one?
If we have recommended a crown to you, then it is either to correct a broken tooth or to repair a tooth that has had a severe amount of decay. This means we have removed enough of the tooth due to decay that a filling will not suffice, but enough healthy tooth structure is left that it doesn’t warrant extraction. A crown can then be placed to restore the look and function of your tooth while maintaining your natural, underlying tooth structure. Most crowns are precision-milled porcelain or full metal, gold alloy. They are individually customized to give you a natural, long lasting smile.
If you have a broken tooth or a tooth that needs repaired because of deterioration due to cavities or decay, a crown may be the option recommended to you. Tooth decay eats away at your healthy tooth structure in much the same way as rust eats away at metal. If this decay is not removed from your tooth, it will continue to deteriorate the tooth until removal of the tooth is the only option. In some cases, the decay can be removed while leaving behind a portion of the healthy tooth structure. A crown can then be placed on the healthy portion of your tooth. This allows you to keep your natural, underlying tooth structure while restoring the look and function of your smile. Most crowns are precision-milled porcelain or full metal, gold or silver, and they are customized to give you a natural, long lasting smile.
A. A crown is best described as a helmet that protects a weakened tooth. Endodontically treated teeth are weakened due to the fact that some of its structure has been removed to treat it. A post and crown are needed to protect the remaining structure from fracturing and to preserve the function of the tooth. A crown can also be placed on some virgin teeth that want to be esthetically enhanced.
