Dental Crowns: A Plausible Alternative to Fillings

What are Dental Crowns? 

Dental crowns are tooth-shaped caps placed over your teeth to cover them or restore their size, shape, appearance, and strength. With time, your teeth get worn out due to various reasons such as injuries and tooth decay. Also, your tooth may tend to lose its size or share due to wearing out. In such cases, a crown will be vital to reshape and resize your tooth for smooth functioning.

The Dental Crowning Procedure

Typically, you may be booked in for two visits to your dentist in preparation for a dental crown in Portland. However, depending on your orthodontist’s dental advice, dental crowning can be a same-day or multi-day process.

Same-day Procedure

During the same day dental crowns procedures, your specialist may overlook the temporary crowning steps. Despite the overlook, below are the steps we at Multnomah Village dentists follow during a typical same-day crowning.

• Taking digital pictures of your dental nomenclature
• Use the digital scans from the photographs to create a crown within our offices. This process usually takes between 1-2 hours
• Once the crown is ready, our specialists will cement it into place, and the process may take between 2-4 hours

Multi-Day Procedure with a Temporary Crown

A multi-day crowning procedure may require a day or two to complete the process. Below are the techniques a Multnomah Village dentist will use in your treatment

• Conduct dental exams and preparation of the respective tooth to be crowned. During the examination, the specialist will take X-rays of the tooth and a mould of your mouth or tooth.
• The Orthodontist may perform a root canal treatment to create room for the crown.
• The specialist will proceed to make an impression of your tooth and the teeth around it.
• The dentist will fit a temporary crown over your tooth to protect it from damage by saliva, food particles, and bacteria.
• The impression will be sent to specific crown manufacture with the necessary instructions to produce the final crown. This stage may last for several weeks.
• Upon delivery of the crown, your specialist will call you in to cement the crown.

How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?

Dental crowns have a lifespan of between 5-15 years. However, this lifespan is dependent on several factors such as dental care, usage, and the type of crown. A general thumb rule, porcelain-fused to metal and metal crowns is sturdier than other crowns, hence the longest.

Despite their natural look, all-porcelain and all-ceramic are not sturdier than porcelain fused to metal and metal crowns. All-resin crowns are known to be less sturdy and wear down quickly hence have a short lifespan. Keep in mind keep good oral hygiene will last your crowns for many years.

Alternative to Dental Crowns

An Orthodontist dealing in dental crowns in Portland is likely to recommend a crown ideal for a specific case or an alternative treatment option. If your tooth is too worn out or too weakened to withstand a filling, veneers can be an alternative treatment option.

If your teeth have a wide cavity which filling will not correct, an orthodontist in Portland may recommend crowning as the ideal alternative to restore and protect the teeth.

Possible Complication of Having a Crown

Having a crown also comes with a risk. They include. 

• Chipped Crown: Crowns such as all-porcelain are likely to suffer chipping compared to other crowns. The porcelain material could break away and expose the metal structure below.
• Allergic Reaction: Allergies are less likely to occur, but some patients are allergic to metals used in the manufacture of metal crowns
• Gum Disease: Whenever you notice bleeding or irritation on the gums surrounding the crown, you could be suffering from gum disease or gingivitis
• Dental mistakes are usually inevitable hence the crown could loosen up or fall off if there is little cement to hold it in place.

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Dentist Near Me

• Patients Reviews: You can google search several dentists within your locale and read through their patient’s feedback
• Ask for leads: You can seek recommendations from your colleagues, neighbors, and friends. Draft down a list of dentists with a comparison matrix and use it to narrow down your search
• Cost: With the help of your dentist, you can search on social media platforms for dental crowns near me or dental crowns in Multnomah Village and reach out to them for a quote.