Our teeth are strong, but they’re not invulnerable. Sometimes they can become damaged due to injury or tooth decay, and the patient and their dentist must decide if the tooth. A dental crown — a cap that covers your existing tooth — can save an existing tooth while also making it useable for biting and chewing again. This restores the appearance of your teeth and preserves your smile.
Crowns are a lifelike prosthetic custom-made to match your existing teeth and cover the damaged tooth from the chewing surface all the way down to where it meets the gum line. Your dentist can craft and install crowns for his or her patients for both medical and cosmetic purposes. While you’ve probably heard of dental crowns, you may not be aware of just how they can help damaged teeth look and function better.
At our Nashua, NH dental practice, Drs. Adrian and Keith Levesque and Dr. Tara Vogel of Levesque Dentistry want their patients to understand the treatment options available to them and their advantages. Listed below are the benefits of dental crowns and how they can help restore your oral health.
Crowns help relieve discomfort.
Dentists often use dental crowns to complete a restorative treatment, repairing damage to a tooth’s enamel or structure. Extensive decay, an infection of a tooth’s root, or injury to your tooth can cause sensitivity or even pain when you eat or drink. If the damage is severe enough, you may be constant pain.
Once your dentist addresses the underlying issue with your tooth with an appropriate treatment, such as filling or a root canal, the remainder of your tooth may still be sensitive and vulnerable to further damage. A dental crown covers the treated tooth, protecting it against further damage while also reducing sensitivity.
Crowns are a simple procedure.
It might sound as is getting dental crowns would be a complicated or intense procedure but, in reality, this treatment is relatively simple and minimally invasive. Once your enamel is cleaned and the damaged parts healthy or removed, your dentist will shape your tooth so that it can securely hold a crown.
Then, he or she will make a mold of the tooth being treated in order to cast your crown. The entire process usually takes about two weeks but you will be given a temporary crown to maintain the natural appearance of your smile and help you eat in the meantime. When it’s ready, your dentist will cover your prepared tooth and cement it in place with a strong bonding agent.
Crowns are custom-made for you.
Your dentist will design your dental crown to match the shape, size, and hue of your existing tooth. Once the slight soreness around the newly installed crown subsides, you will most likely forget you even have one and most people probably won’t be able to notice it unless you tell them.
Crowns can restore the appearance of teeth.
Dental crowns are mainly designed to restore teeth to health and relieve dental pain, but they also offer numerous cosmetic benefits as well. Because crowns fit over an existing tooth, they can instantly correct any issues with discoloration, staining, misshapen teeth, crookedness, chips, cracks, fractures, and more.
However, using crowns for these purely cosmetic may not be covered by your insurance. Consult with the dedicated office staff at Levesque Dentistry about what your insurance will and will not cover.
Crowns last many years.
Levesque Dentistry uses strong materials to create our patients’ dental crowns. With a dedication to routine care such as daily brushing and flossing, as well as regular examinations, these prosthetic tooth coverings can last between 15 and 30 years.
Enjoy the Advantages of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns can help you restore and enhance your smile and Levesque Dentistry would like to help you reap the benefits if you need them. If you’re in the Nashua, NH area, contact us online or call (603) 547-9203 to find out more about these treatments or any others or to schedule a routine cleaning.