Dental Mysteries – Volume 4 – Dental Crowns

Welcome to the next entry in our ongoing series of patient information columns.  Our goal is to educate the reader, thereby reducing any anxiety that a patient may feel from the unknown.  Today, we unveil the mystery of:

Dental Crowns

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth to repair a broken or badly damaged tooth.  A crown restores a tooth’s shape, size, and strength.  A dental crown differs from a dental veneer in that it covers more tooth structure because the tooth is more badly damaged, often by decay.  Dental crowns can be made from a variety of materials, including metal, porcelain covered metal, or all-porcelain.  Smile Texas recommends all-porcelain crowns, because they give the most natural looking smile.  All-porcelain crowns are covered at Smile Texas by the “Last Time You Pay Policy”.  This policy protects your smile investment by repairing or replacing the crown, at no cost to the patient, if it should break, become loose, be damaged, or come off.   No matter the cause!

The procedure for installing a dental crown requires two dental office visits.  During the first visit, the damaged tooth is prepared to receive the crown.  Local anesthesia or sedation dentistry is used to make the patient completely comfortable while the tooth is prepared to make room for the crown.  If a large area of the tooth is missing due to decay, the tooth will be built up to support the crown.  After the preparation, dental impressions will be made to send to a dental lab, where the permanent crown will be manufactured.  A temporary crown will be made to cover and protect the prepared tooth until the permanent crown is ready.

During the final visit, which can be as soon as a few days after the first visit, the temporary crown is removed and the permanent crown is seated.  The patient’s bite is checked for proper function and comfort.  This visit usually requires no anesthesia.  As easy as that – your smile is more perfect!