Do You Need Dental Crowns?

Added: (Tue Aug 11 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Crowns are not just for royalty. At least not the dental kind of crowns. According to Wikipedia, a crown is a type of tooth restoration that uses materials fabricated by indirect methods and cemented into place. It is often used to cap or completely cover a tooth.

According to a los angeles cosmetic dentist, there are many possible reasons why a tooth might need to be restored with a crown. Below are the common instances when los angeles cosmetic dentistswould recommend restoring with crowns.
Decay. This is the most common reason why an expert on los angeles cosmetic dentistry might recommend a crown. Initial signs of decay would often just need an intracoronal restoration. However, there are sometimes situations that where there is not enough remaining solid tooth structure after decay and fragile tooth is removed. In cases like these, extracoronal restoration is needed. Restorations that fall into this category include the various types of crowns and onlays.
Implants. When implants are placed and properly integrated into the bone, they are often fitted with crowns.
Endodontically treated teeth. Teeth that undergo endodontic treatment or root canal therapy are devitalized when the nerve and blood supply are cut off. Because of this, the vitality of a tooth will be compromised after root canal therapy, making it significantly weaker and extremely brittle. A crown is often used to cover the tooth to protect it from breakage.
Aesthetics. Crowns are also used to aesthetically improve a patient’s smile. A crown is an alternative if the patient’s occlusion does not permit for a mildly-retentive restoration, or if there is too much decay or fracture within the tooth structure, or when a porcelain or composite veneer may not be placed with any adequate guarantee for its durability.

A crown may be a full crown or an onlay. Once a crown has been chosen as the restoration method to be used, a dentist gives the patients records to a dental technician to fabricate the crown. The crown is then attached on the next dental appointment. The common materials used for crowns are gold, ceramic, and porcelain.