If discolored, cracked, chipped, or badly decayed teeth make you feel embarrassed about the appearance of your smile, you’ll be glad to know that dental crowns in Candler, NC can help you get your best smile back. A dental crown is a cap placed over a damaged tooth to protect, cover, and restore its shape when dental fillings aren’t enough to solve the issue.
While most patients choose to get tooth-colored crowns made from dental-grade ceramic or porcelain, others prefer to get crowns made from metals or resin. Moreover, the best thing about this dental restorative option is the fact that except for regular proper oral hygiene, they don’t require special care.
Situations That Require a Dental Crown
Large Filling
In most cases, a dental crown is used to strengthen and protect a tooth that has a large fracture or cavity. It’s important to note that the cavity has to cover half or more of the tooth’s width for the dentist to recommend a dental crown.
Without the dental crown to cover the weak tooth, it will likely suffer further damage. Furthermore, there are some cases where a large filling has to be replaced with a dental crown because cracks and other stress signs are developing around the filling.
Broken Cusps
Each time you chew your food, the part of your tooth that takes the most stress is the cusp. In most cases, large existing fillings and trauma to your teeth cause the cusps to break off frequently. To ensure that the fillings won’t become fractured, the cusps should be completely covered by dental crowns.
A crown lengthening procedure may be recommended if your tooth breaks all the way to your jaw bone. Your dentist trims down your gums and bone below the edge of the fracture to make sure that the margin of your crown is placed on a strong and healthy tooth structure.
Cracked Tooth Syndrome
If you have tiny fractures inside a specific tooth causing you to experience pain each time you chew your food in a certain way, you may suffer from a condition called cracked tooth syndrome. Since the act of chewing puts stress on these fracture lines, you’ll feel like the tooth in question is splitting apart.
With a dental crown to hold this tooth together, the stress is distributed evenly throughout the parts of your tooth. Although pain can usually be eliminated, there are instances where patients feel some degree of discomfort. In such cases, a temporary crown may have to be placed to make sure that the tooth doesn’t need a root canal.
Root Canal Treatment
An infection that’s affecting the pulp of your tooth almost always requires a root canal treatment to save your natural tooth. This involves the removal of the infected pulp and the thorough disinfection of the inside of the treated tooth before it gets sealed.
Since your hollowed-out tooth is predisposed to cracking, your dentist restores your tooth structure’s integrity while restoring its function by placing a dental crown over it.
Excessively Worn Teeth
Do you have the nasty habit of grinding or clenching your teeth? This can cause your teeth to become shorter as they suffer excessive wear. However, teeth may also wear away because of acid erosion, which is triggered by an acidic diet, bulimia, or acid reflux (GERD).
In some cases, the enamel completely wears away, and the teeth become soft and small. Unless the teeth are restored to their normal size, the bite will eventually collapse. To keep this from happening, dental crowns are placed over the worn teeth.
Are You Considering Dental Crowns in Candler, NC?
At Cataloochee Dental Group, we want to help you maintain optimal oral health by providing comprehensive and preventive patient care. Contact us today to schedule your consultation.