The benefits of a dental crown

More than just cosmetic to give you back your dazzling smile, a dental crown reinforces a damaged or weak tooth so you can chew comfortably again. But are there other benefits? And who's a candidate to get one?

To cover and strengthen a damaged tooth, your dentist may recommend a dental crown – a prosthetic tooth-shaped "hat" that completely covers a tooth damaged by a cavity or a fracture. It may also be placed over an implant.

What's the purpose of a dental crown?
Not only to protect the tooth, but to give you back your beautiful smile and the full use of your tooth for chewing comfortably once more.

Dental crowns are used for several reasons, namely to:

• Protect a live or devitalized tooth that has become weakened and fragile.
• Restore a fractured or a worn tooth.
• Cover a dental implant.
• Protect a healthy tooth that is jeopardized by a damaged tooth.

During your appointment, the dentist will examine your mouth. This will enable him or her to determine which type of dental crown is best suited to the location of your tooth, to your aesthetics, and of course, to your budget.

Porcelain crown
Made in a laboratory, a porcelain crown is totally white. It goes unnoticed and perfectly imitates the properties of a natural tooth.

• It is less solid than a gold crown or a porcelain crown fused to gold.
• For cosmetic reasons, it is recommended mainly for the front teeth.

Gold alloy crown / porcelain fused to gold crown
Even today, gold teeth remain a wise choice.

• Because gold is such a resistant material, a crown made of gold alloy or of porcelain fused to gold is the most durable.
• This type of crown, however, is recommended for back molars.

CEREC crowns
Made from ceramic, these crowns are made directly in the dentist’s office, with the use of CEREC technology.

• The advantage of this modern technique is it allows the dentist to design, make, and install the crown in a single visit.

In the case of a porcelain or gold crown, the dentist makes a dental impression of your mouth.

• Using a mold of your teeth, a dental laboratory designs a crown that blends perfectly with the others. The crown is installed at the next appointment.

With a CEREC crown, only a digital impression needs to be made.

• The design and milling of the crown are computer-assisted and done right at the clinic.

Before the dental crown can be made, the natural tooth is prepared first.

• It is reduced in size so that the dental crown will fit over it properly.
• The dentist may recommend a root canal in certain cases where the internal structure of the tooth is not solid enough.

When you’re done, you’ll be happy to smile again and show off those beautiful pearly whites!