What is a Tooth Crown?

What is a Tooth Crown?

A tooth crown is used to restore a damaged or decayed tooth and can be made from a variety of materials. Depending on your needs and location, there are various options available to you, from dental laboratory crafted crowns that use multiple types of ceramics (each with different shades and translucencies) in layers to create a highly natural appearance, to ‘monolithic’ CAD/CAM machine produced (meaning solid) crowns milled out of a single uniform block of material which are not as translucent.

Before a crown can be inserted, the dentist will prepare the tooth under local anaesthetic by removing any damaged or decayed tissue and reshaping the sides and chewing surface of the tooth. They may also need to build up certain areas with filling material.

Tooth Crown: Everything You Need to Know About Dental Crowns

This step is crucial, as a poorly prepared tooth can lead to future problems. An example would be if the dentist removes too much natural tooth structure, which could lead to a fracture of the crown. This can be very painful and is a common cause of complications in the long term such as gum recession, bone loss, and infection.

If you opt for a crown, your dentist will take a digital picture of the tooth using scanning equipment and design software to create a virtual model of the crown. This information is then sent to a machine which carves the crown out of a block of porcelain material in a single appointment, whilst you rest in the chair. The crown is then checked and cemented into place.

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