Dental Crown
A dental crown is a natural looking “cap” covering over your missing tooth, restoring it to its original shape, size, and strength, protecting it from further damage.
When is a dental crown required?
Three main situations cause a tooth to require crowning.
- Root canal treated tooth
Usually associated with weaker tooth structure, a tooth is required to undergo root canal treatment due to extensive tooth decay, causing infection to the tooth’s pulp. In such cases, there will be severe loss of the teeth’s structure, resulting in weaker teeth that may fracture easily under heavy chewing. However, in some cases, such as the front teeth with adequate teeth structure and are not exposed to heavy chewing, dental crown may not be required. - Badly broken down tooth
The structure of the tooth is so badly broken down due to decay, to the extent that a regular dental filling may not be strong enough to withstand the chewing force. A tooth with a large filling can easily fracture, especially for molar teeth exposed to greater chewing forces while eating. - Cracked tooth
A healthy tooth may suffer from crack or fracture if accidentally chewed on something hard (such as nuts, bone, or even ice). As a result, the structure of the tooth may become weak, and a dental crown may save the tooth, which otherwise might have to be extracted.
When is a dental bridge required?
Dental bridges are like three or more dental crowns joined together, but to replace one to two missing natural teeth by gaining support from the adjacent teeth. The natural teeth at the side of the missing area are trimmed, and the bridge is cemented permanently to replace the missing teeth.
Using a bridge to replace missing teeth is more comfortable than a denture and is cheaper than dental implants. However, it requires trimming of the healthy adjacent natural teeth, compromising its original structure.
What is the process of dental crowning & bridging?
In most cases, crowning or bridging requires only two visits to complete the treatment. For your tooth preparation for the tooth crown or bridge on the first visit, your dentist will first remove any decay, followed by trimming and reshaping your tooth to make space for the crown to be capped.
Once the trimming is done, an impression will be taken and sent to the dental laboratory to fabricate the crown, which usually takes 1-2 weeks to be ready.
Meanwhile, a temporary crown will be placed around your tooth to protect it from damage until the next appointment. During your next visit, the temporary crowns made will be removed, and the actual crown will be cemented over your tooth permanently.
Types of dental crowns material
- Full Metal crowns
- Porcelain crowns / Full Ceramic crowns
- Porcelain fused to metal crowns (PFM)
- Zirconia crown
Each material comes with its pros and cons. The decision on which material to use for your dental crown depends on many factors. (the tooth to be crowned, any allergy to metal as some of the dental crowns are metal based, front teeth or back teeth, aesthetic requirement, cost) Our dentist at Ocean Dental would be more than happy to share the recommended material for your case.
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FAQ
A dental crown is usually required after root canal treatment or for badly broken down or fractured tooth.
In most cases, a regular restoration using filling material is insufficient to protect the tooth from all the forces when chewing; thus, a dental crown is required to restore and protect the tooth from further damages.
In most cases, crowning/ bridging only requires two visits to complete after the consultation is done. The first visit will be the tooth preparation visit, which involves tooth trimming and taking the impression.
The second visit will be after the crown/ bridge is fabricated from the dental laboratory and the crown is ready to be cemented permanently onto your teeth.
Medisave can only be used for surgical procedures. Since dental crown and bridge are not considered surgery, Medisave cannot be used.
A dental crown / bridge does not require much special care. However, like all other teeth, you must maintain good oral hygiene habits to prevent decay or gum diseases for long lasting result.
The price for dental crown is from $750, depending on the tooth and material of the crown.
Different material comes with its pros and cons. The decision on which material to use depends on factors like:
- the tooth to be crowned
- any allergy to metal
- aesthetic requirement
- cost
Our dentist at Ocean Dental would be more than happy to share the recommended material for your case.
Still have a question about dental crowning?
Don’t hesitate to contact us!