DENTAL CROWNS

A Dental crown, sometimes known as dental cap, is a type of dental restoration which completely caps or encircles a tooth or dental implant. Crowns are often needed  when a  large cavity threatens the ongoing health of a tooth.They are typically bonded to the tooth using a dental cement. Crowns can be made from many materials, which  are usually fabricated using indirect methods. Crowns are often used to improve the strength or appearance of teeth. While inarguably beneficial to dental health, the procedure and materials can be relatively expensive.

The most common method of crowning a tooth involves using a dental impression of a prepared tooth by a dentist to fabricate the crown outside of the mouth.

 The crown can then be inserted at a subsequent dental appointment. Using this indirect method of tooth restoration allows use of strong restorative materials  requiring time-consuming fabrication methods requiring intense heat, such as casting metal or firing porcelain which would not be possible to complete inside the  mouth. Because of the expansion properties, the relatively similar material costs, and the cosmetic benefit, many patients choose to have their crown fabricated with gold.

As new technology and materials science has evolved, computers are increasingly becoming a part of crown fabrication, such as in CAD/CAM dentistry.

Indications for dental crowns:

Crowns are indicated to:

Replace existing crowns which have failed

Restore the form, function and appearance of badly broken down, worn or fractured teeth, where other simpler forms of restorations are unsuitable or have been found to fail clinically.

Improve the aesthetics of unsightly teeth which cannot be managed by simpler cosmetic and restorative procedures.

Maintain the structural stability and reduce the risk of fractures of extensively restored teeth including those which have been endodontically treated.

Restore the visible portion of a single dental implant.