Do you have an especially weak tooth that needs to be reinforced? Are you missing one or more teeth? Do you have any teeth that are extremely damaged or discolored? If so, you may be a good candidate for a dental crown in wilmington nc procedure. While cosmetic crowns are most frequently made from ceramic or porcelain, crowns can also be made of resin, stainless steel, or other materials. Your dentists can discuss the pros and cons of each material type with you before crafting and placing your crown. A dental-crown placement procedure usually takes two separate dental office visits to complete. First, your dentist will conduct a thorough examination to determine whether or not your damaged tooth will be able to effectively support a crown. If it can, your dentist will then file down the surface of the tooth to prepare it for the crown. In some cases, if the tooth is severely damaged, your dentist may instead place a filling in the tooth, building it up so it can better accommodate a crown. Once the tooth has been properly prepared, with either filing or filling, the dentist will use dental putty to take an impression of the tooth and surrounding teeth so that a custom-fitted permanent tooth can be crafted by a technician at a dental lab. While your permanent crown is being custom made, your dentist will give you a temporary crown to protect the tooth and allow full functionality. Once the permanent crown is completed, you will have your second dental appointment. During this visit, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and place your permanent crown, cementing it into place. While you may experience a brief adjustment period in which you get used to the feeling of your new tooth or teeth, soon, you can expect your crown to feel, look, and function just like a regular, healthy tooth.
Dental crowns are known colloquially as caps, because they cap a damaged tooth to restore and preserve its strength and function. Dental crowns are among the most common dental procedures in place to protect or restore a damaged tooth and help it retain its function and appearance in the mouth. Be sure to explore and discuss all possible restoration options with your dentist before beginning any treatment procedure. Some dental damage may be more easily repaired through the use of veneers or direct composite bonding, but in cases where damage to the teeth is extensive, these more conservative procedures may not be an option. Your dentist may also recommend a crown if you have undergone a root canal treatment, as the crown can help protect the affected tooth from further damage or infection. Other patients choose dental crowns, placed onto implants, to replace a damaged or destroyed tooth or teeth. Regardless of your reasons for needing a dental crown, the end result can restore the function and appearance of your mouth and your teeth.
Before beginning the dental crown treatment procedure, your dentist will walk you through the options involved in the process, including types of anesthesia and materials to be used, to help you make an informed decision. At your first appointment, your dentist will take a mold of the tooth, or teeth, that are to be restored. These dental impressions will be sent to a dental laboratory, where they will be used to make custom-fitted crowns that match your natural teeth in shape, size, and alignment. While your permanent crown or crowns are being made in the laboratory, you will be given a temporary crown that you can use until your permanent crown is ready. Once the permanent crown has been prepared, you will go back to your dentist’s office so the crown can be bonded to the prepared area in your mouth. Thanks to innovations in dental technology, computer-aided design can assist your dentist in modeling your new smile. In some cases, your dentist may be able to model and craft your permanent crown in their own office, which shortens the length of the procedure. This design technology also allows you and your dentist to review what your new tooth or teeth will look like before they are constructed and placed.
Once your permanent crown has been placed, you will receive information on how to care for this new tooth. Basic dental hygiene, including brushing twice daily and once-daily flossing, is imperative following this procedure, as it always is. Daily home hygiene will help prevent further decay and damage by removing plaque and bacteria from the area where the teeth and gums meet. You will also be advised to avoid chewing ice, hard foods or other hard objects, or biting or chewing your fingernails, which could damage a crown. If you clench or grind your teeth while sleeping, you will be given a flexible plastic mouth guard to protect your teeth while you’re sleeping. It’s important to choose a reputable, trusted dentist to prepare and place your dental crowns, as the longevity of a crown is connected to how precisely it fits on the tooth beneath it; if the crown is loose, it may lead to bacteria being trapped beneath it, which can develop into a serious problem if left unaddressed. The tooth that is being capped must also be as healthy as possible before the treatment can begin, which may mean your dentist will need to provide additional restoration before the dental crown can be placed. Your dentist will begin your dental crown procedure with a thorough evaluation of the condition of the gums and bone in the area, to make sure the existing tissue is healthy before a procedure begins.
If you are missing more than one tooth in a row, your dentist may be able to place more than one crown on a bridge, allowing you to replace more than one tooth with a single piece. Depending on the condition of your jawbone and your teeth, your dentist may place this bridge over existing teeth, or on implants. If the teeth on either side of a gap are healthy and strong enough to support a bridge, your dentist may use these teeth, called “abutments,” as support for a row of teeth on a bridge. The dentist will prepare these teeth just as they would prepare the supporting teeth for a single crown. Once the teeth are prepared and the bridge is constructed, your dentist will cement the bridge, which will consist of crowns for the abutments and any crowns between these two teeth, into your mouth. If the teeth on either side of a gap are determined to be too weak to support a bridge, your dentist may remove them and place implants in the jaw. These implants serve as replacement roots for the teeth and are usually made of a highly specialized metal, like titanium. Once the implants have been placed and the implant sites have healed, your dentist will place permanent crowns, and any adjacent bridgework, onto the implants themselves. Dental crowns and bridges can be made from a variety of different materials, depending on placement in the mouth. If your dental crowns are toward the front of your mouth, you may prefer that they be made from porcelain or ceramic, which most closely resembles the color and translucence of natural teeth. If your dental crowns will be toward the back of your mouth, you may prefer a stronger material, like a metal alloy, that may not be as visually attractive but that will provide a strong foundation for the work your teeth must do, like chewing. Talk to your dentist about which material is most appropriate for your dental crowns.
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