Crowns

A crown is a hollow shell or a cap that fits covers and fits over the existing natural tooth (only that part of the tooth above the gums). A crown does not make the underlying tooth stronger but it does protect and prevent the underlying tooth and filling from breaking.

 

Crowns are made in a laboratory.  They can be made from a gold alloy or porcelain or the most common is a combination of metal and porcelain. At the moment new materials for making crowns and new ways of making them in the laboratory are flooding the market.

 

The teeth that benefit from crowning are normally:

 

· Teeth with very big fillings and a small amount of remaining natural tooth. A small piece of tooth is fragile and will often break.  A large filling is also at risk of fracture and breakage.

· Root canal filled teeth. Such teeth are almost invariable weak and or discoloured.

· People who grind or clench their teeth put extra force or pressure on teeth that normally would not be at risk of breakage.

· Discoloured, stained or misshapen front teeth can benefit by being crowned.

 

Technique for crowning a tooth:

Any existing fillings in the tooth are normally redone.  The tooth is made free of decay.  

The tooth is then reduced.  Normally a thin veneer of about 1 to 2mm is removed from every surface of the tooth. This normally involves five surfaces.  The top surface and the four sides.                         

An impression is taken of the tooth.  This is used to make a model of the tooth that the laboratory can use.

After the impression a temporary crown is made to go over top of the tooth.

The crown is constructed in the lab. We often ask you to go to lab so that they can check the colour or shade of the other teeth.

The second visit the temporary crown is removed and the final crown is tried to check the colour, the bite and the fit.

The final crown is then cemented permanently in place. The tooth needs to be cleaned and maintained like any other tooth. With care a crown will last along time.  But things can go wrong.  They can chip, break or come off.  The underlying tooth can die or decay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few crowns on some front teeth and one on a back tooth.