Dental Crown

   A crown, sometimes known as a "cap", is a tooth-shaped covering placed over a tooth that has been decayed, damaged, misshapen or badly stained. A crown restores your tooth to its correct shape and size, strengthening it while improving its appearance. To create a crown that looks like your natural teeth, a number of factors are considered, such as the color, shape, bite, and length of your teeth.

Crowns are often used when a tooth is cracked, has a large filling, has broken off, or when a major portion is lost to decay. Crowns are also used to attach a bridge, and may be used to cover a dental implant. Crowns require more tooth structure removal, and thus cover more of the tooth than veneers. There are three types of dental crowns:

• Metal crowns can be made of gold alloy, palladium, or alloys of other metals such as nickel or chromium. Metal crowns are strong and ideal for use on the back teeth, where they protect the chewing surface of the molars.
• Ceramic crowns look like normal teeth and are ideal for use on the front teeth.
• Porcelain crowns are made of porcelain fused to metal. They look like natural teeth and may be stronger than ceramic crowns.

Depending on the extent of damage or decay, the dentist may perform a root canal before placing a dental crown on the tooth. To prepare a tooth for a crown, it is reduced in size so the crown can fit over it. An impression of the tooth and surrounding teeth and gums is then made, to be used in fabricating a crown with precise dimensions. A temporary crown is fitted over the tooth, to protect it while the crown is being made. On the next visit, the dentist removes the "temporary" and permanently cements the new crown to the supporting tooth, checking for fit and bite. The crowned tooth can be used exactly as you would any other tooth.

Crowns can last from 7 or 8 years up to decades, but it is vital that you brush and floss regularly and clean between your teeth as instructed by your dental professional. It is essential that you remove plaque from the area where the crowned tooth meets the gum, to prevent decay and gum disease that may eventually require replacement of the crown. In addition, teeth grinding (bruxism) can damage a crown and should be treated by your dentist.