General Dentistry – West Melbourne
CROWNS
At Artistic Touch Dentistry, we offer dental crowns to restore the function and appearance of individual teeth. Whether by sight or with an X-ray, dentists can often find tooth decay at its early stages. It’s easy to repair some cavities with a standard filing, but when a tooth has more filling than actual tooth left it’s probably time for a crown. A tooth made up of mostly filling material is unstable. It will become too weak to support normal biting and chewing.
WHAT IS A DENTAL CROWN?
A dental crown, also called a cap, is a dental restoration that is custom made to fit over your existing tooth when a simple filling wouldn’t be enough. Like fillings, they can prevent future decay, but they do this by completely covering the tooth. At our Melbourne dental practice, we focus on delivering high-quality dental crowns Melbourne patients love because they are tailored to meet individual needs. Here are the key benefits:
Benefits of Crowns:
Restoration of Function and Strength
Crowns restore the function and strength of damaged teeth, protecting them from further decay and damage by evenly distributing biting forces.
Aesthetic Improvement
Customizable in shape and color, dental crowns can enhance the appearance of your smile by correcting issues like discoloration, chips, and misalignment.
Enhanced Comfort
For patients with cracked, broken, or sensitive teeth, crowns offer relief from pain and sensitivity by stabilizing the tooth and shielding it from extreme temperatures and pressure.
Durability
Made from materials like porcelain, ceramic, or metal alloys, crowns are durable and can last many years with proper care.
TYPES OF DENTAL CROWNS:
All Porcelain Crown
This is our most common crown. For back teeth, it is a solid piece of porcelain that is milled out as designed by a lab technician. For front teeth, the porcelain is layered over a porcelain base for a more esthetic look. These teeth are shade matched to resemble a more natural looking crown.
Porcelain Fused to Metal
This crown has a metal base with porcelain baked, or fused, onto the metal base. The porcelain is shaped and shaded to resemble a more natural looking tooth.
Full Gold Crown
This crown is made of metal alloys with a high content of gold or base metal. Full gold crowns stand up to biting and chewing forces better than crowns with porcelain. Although they will be shaped like a natural tooth, they are usually gold in color.
WHY DO I NEED A CROWN?
Broken tooth or filling
When a portion of the tooth or filling has broken off, a crown is used to restore the function and protect the tooth from further damage.
After a root canal
A root canal removes the nerve from your tooth. The nerve supplies your tooth with nutrients to help keep it strong. With the nerve no longer in place, the tooth becomes weak and brittle. In order for the tooth to sustain the forces of chewing it needs a crown.
Cavity under an existing filling
A tooth with a filling can get a second cavity. This can result in a large portion of the tooth needing to be restored. A tooth made up mostly of filling material is unstable and will become too weak to support normal biting and chewing. A crown is needed to restore tooth function and strength.
Cracked Tooth Syndrome
When a tooth, with an existing filling, becomes painful when biting it can be a symptom of Cracked Tooth Syndrome. Teeth with fillings can get fracture lines during use. These fracture lines are not deep enough to fracture a piece off the tooth, but are deep enough to be pushed apart when biting. To hold these fractures together and stop the discomfort, a crown is placed over the tooth.
Cosmetics
If you are unhappy with the shape, shade, or spacing of your front teeth, crowns may be placed to correct the aesthetics.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT WITH A SAME-DAY CROWN?
The Process
Your appointment begins with a thorough examination of your tooth. We’ll determine if a same-day crown is the best treatment option and answer any questions you may have before we begin.
After numbing the area, we gently remove any decay or damaged tooth structure while preserving as much healthy tooth as possible. Instead of traditional impression material, we take a precise 3D digital scan of your tooth. This creates an accurate model that allows us to design a crown customized to your bite and smile.
Using advanced CAD/CAM technology, we carefully design your new crown to match the shape, function, and appearance of your natural tooth. Your crown is crafted right here in our office using our CEREC Primemill system.
The milling process typically takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on the type of restoration. Once the crown is milled, we polish and, when appropriate, glaze or characterize it to achieve a beautiful, natural-looking result.
We check the fit, bite, and appearance of your new crown before permanently bonding it into place. You’ll leave the office the same day, with a fully restored tooth and can enjoy the confidence of a strong, natural-looking smile.
Get Started Today!
Are you ready to transform your smile with crowns at Artistic Touch Dentistry in West Melbourne? Contact us today to schedule your consultation and find out more about the orthodontic solutions we offer. Let us help you achieve the beautiful, straight smile you’ve always wanted with the orthodontic treatment options like Invisalign that West Melbourne patients rely on and recommend.