When Are Dental Crowns Necessary?
Your smile says a lot about you. It even influences others’ first impression of you. However, if you’re missing a tooth or have a damaged one, your smile could be sending the wrong message.
A common cosmetic dental procedure, a crown improves both the form and function of your teeth, as well as your overall oral health. The talented team at Dental Studios, with locations in Summit and Westfield, New Jersey, create custom crowns to correct a variety of dental issues so you can smile with confidence again.
A dental crown is a “cap” for a tooth
Think of dental crowns as custom-fit “caps” for each of your damaged or missing teeth. Crowns look, feel, and function just like your natural teeth. Our skilled dental team creates individual customized crowns that perfectly match your healthy teeth in shape and size — and even color, if the tooth is visible when you smile, so nobody can tell the difference.
Crowns protect a weak tooth from further damage or decay, completely replace a missing tooth, and help strengthen a tooth after a filling or a root canal. A crown is the visible part of a dental implant, or it may be held in place by a dental bridge.
Your dentist recommends the best solutions for your particular needs so you can make an informed decision about which type of crown is right for you. You might need one crown or a few in a row to improve the look and functionality of your upper or lower teeth.
One type of crown does not fit all
Because everyone’s teeth are different, today’s advanced dental technologies allow you to choose from a variety of materials for your new crown. Depending on where in your mouth you need the crown, you can choose from materials such as:
- Stainless steel
- Gold or other alloys
- Resin
- Ceramic
- Porcelain fused to metal
Each material has a durability factor as well as aesthetic value. For example, ceramic and porcelain crowns look most like your natural teeth and reflect light very much like tooth enamel does. Ceramic and porcelain crowns are often the best choice for teeth in the front of your mouth that are highly visible when you smile or talk.
On the other hand, if you have a broken or cracked tooth in the back of your mouth, or if you undergo a root canal on a molar, you may opt for a metal crown because of its durability.
The bottom line on crowns
If you have a worn tooth, a broken tooth, or a missing tooth, a crown can transform your smile and improve your dental health in the long run. You might also get a crown to improve the aesthetic value of your smile and make your teeth more uniform in appearance.
The bottom line is that if you’re not happy with your teeth, or you have a structural issue, crowns are an ideal solution. To learn more about crowns or any of our comprehensive dental procedures, call the Dental Studios office closest to you to make an appointment or schedule online today.