Crowns
 A
crown fits over the entire top of the tooth above the gum line.
Crowns cover, protect, seal and strengthen a tooth. A crown
is needed when a filling just will not
work. A crown may be made of white porcelain, or porcelain fused
to gold. There are many situations that may call for a crown:
With CEREC® crowns and other ceramic
restorations can now be fabricated in our office so no second appointment
is necessary!
 Large
decay. If a tooth has decay so deep and large
that a filling will not stay, or if the tooth structure
is weakened, a crown must be placed on the tooth to save it.
 Large
old fillings. When large old fillings break down,
or get decay around them, they usually need to be
crowned. It is important to crown a tooth that has been structurally weakened
to prevent a cracked or broken tooth. Once a tooth breaks, it may not be possible
to save it.
 Cracked
tooth. When a tooth is cracked, a filling
will not seal the crack. A crown has to be placed over the tooth
to hold it and the crack together. If a crown is not placed on the
tooth, the tooth will become sensitive to chewing pressure, or will
eventually break. It is important to crown a cracked tooth before
it breaks, because in some cases a broken tooth cannot be crowned
and must be extracted.
Broken / Fractured tooth. A tooth that
has broken is usually too weak to hold a filling.
A crown will hold the tooth together and prevent it from breaking again. If
the fracture involves the nerve, Root Canal Therapy
may be required before the tooth is crowned. In some cases, a broken tooth cannot
be saved and must be extracted.
 This
patient chose not to have the cracked tooth above crowned, and it later fractured.
This tooth had to be extracted because it cracked all the way to the root.
Sensitive teeth. Teeth that are very sensitive,
either from a lot of "wear", or from receded gums, sometimes require
crowns to seal and protect the teeth from hot and cold sensitivity.
Root Canal Therapy. A tooth that has undergone
Root Canal Therapy will need a crown to properly seal and protect the tooth.
A tooth with Root Canal Therapy is more brittle than a tooth with a healthy
nerve and blood supply. A crown provides the necessary support to the tooth.
Implant Crowns and Single Crown
Full mouth reconstruction
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