Our teeth not only help with eating and speaking and are crucial for making us look beautiful when smiling. Unfortunately, while some people are naturally blessed with perfectly shaped, pearly white teeth, others are not that lucky. If you have blemished or chipped teeth ruining your smile and self-confidence, there is no need to worry. Porcelain dental crowns can help you get rid of cosmetic teeth defects and enjoy a charming and lasting smile.
What are Dental Crowns?
According to the American College of Prosthodontists, a dental crown is a cap-shaped structure that sits over the visible surface of the teeth and is used for restoring the shape, esthetics, and function of grossly damaged teeth. Dental crowns are one of the most commonly utilised restorative options for fixing blemished smiles.
What Problems Can be Fixed with Dental Crowns?
Porcelain crowns can fix a variety of dental restorative and cosmetic issues. The Australian Dental Council recommends dental crowns to fix the following problems:
- Teeth fractured or chipped due to trauma or tooth decay
- Excessively large or small teeth
- To reinforce a tooth with a large filling
- To mask permanent teeth stains that are not removable with professional whitening
- To strengthen teeth after a root canal procedure
- To cosmetically eliminate teeth gaps or minor tooth misalignment - as a cost-effective alternative to braces or aligners
- For complete smile makeovers
What is the Procedure for Getting Porcelain Crowns?
The process of getting one’s teeth restored with crowns is straightforward, and it is typically completed within 2-3 sittings.
1) Treatment Planning :
at your first appointment, we will perform a thorough clinical examination of your teeth to determine whether you can benefit from dental implants. We will then prepare a fully-customized treatment plan for restoring your teeth.
2) Tooth Preparation :
Next, we will remove a thin layer of the outer tooth enamel to create space for attaching the crowns. Since only a thin layer of the enamel will be removed, it will not make your teeth sensitive or weak. Typically, there is no need for anesthesia during tooth preparation for crowns. However, if we observe that the remaining tooth structure is very close to the pulp, we will administer local anesthesia to make you pain-free.
3) Digital Impressions and Color Matching :
after tooth preparation, we will make digital impressions of your teeth. We will also record the precise shade of the neighbouring teeth so that your crowns blend in perfectly. This information will be sent to the dental laboratory for crown fabrication. Temporary crowns will be placed on the teeth to restore your facial esthetics while the permanent crowns are being fabricated.
4) Crown Bonding :
at the final appointment, we will remove the temporary crowns and permanently bond your permanent crowns using adhesive.
Looking After your Porcelain Crowns
At Camden Family Dental, we ask our patients to take care of the following things to enhance the life of their crowns: