What is a dental crown?
You may be wondering, what is a dental crown? A dental crown is kind of like a filling, but a filling goes inside the tooth, while a dental crown goes on top of a tooth like a hat. We have a rule of thumb in dentistry: if you're thinking about doing a filling, you want to have more tooth than filling. If, at a certain point, you're going to have more filling than tooth, you take the chance of the filling wearing down quickly or, even worse, the tooth breaking or being lost because of a fracture.
A dental crown fits over your tooth like a hat and protects the underlying tooth, which is still your natural tooth. Modern dentistry allows us to preserve as much tooth structure as possible, and the line is now getting a little blurred as to what a crown is. With the restorations we do nowadays, we want to remove as little tooth structure as possible, maintain as much of your natural tooth as possible, and then rebuild the missing portion using modern dental ceramics.
Again, the line between a partial crown, a three-quarter crown, and a full crown has become very blurred. But the most important part to remember is that we want to preserve as much of your own tooth as possible, and modern adhesive dentistry helps us do that.
How does modern dentistry help preserve your tooth?
One of the things that makes modern dentistry really good for your tooth is that, in the old days when we did metal crowns, we actually had to remove more of your natural tooth structure to create mechanical retention. Bonding, as we know it today, was either in its infancy or did not exist.
Nowadays, with the advent of modern ceramics and adhesive dentistry, we can bond the ceramic to your tooth so the restoration and tooth work together as one strong structure. This allows us to be more conservative with the natural tooth while still creating a strong dental restoration.
What are the benefits of same-day dental crowns?
One of the beautiful advantages of modern dentistry is the use of digital scanners. Scanners are an invaluable tool we have in dentistry. In the old days, we had to prepare your tooth and take a traditional impression. That impression could have some distortion as it expanded and contracted. Then stone models had to be poured, the restoration had to be fabricated by the dental lab, and a temporary crown was made for you to wear. You would come back a couple of weeks later to have the final crown fitted and adjusted.
With modern same-day dental crown technology, we can prepare a tooth, scan it in just a few minutes, digitally design the restoration, and then mill or 3D print the crown in the office using appropriate dental materials. The restoration can then be bonded to your tooth that same day, allowing you to leave with your final crown in place.
There's no temporary crown that's going to fall off and no traditional impression material that can make some patients gag. You can end up with a beautiful, highly aesthetic restoration designed to blend naturally with your smile. Oftentimes, it can be very difficult to tell that the tooth even has a crown. That's how beautifully these restorations can be made nowadays.
Are same-day crowns as durable as traditional crowns?
Same-day crowns can be very durable, as long as the dentist understands the limitations of the material and selects the appropriate restoration for the patient. Often, believe it or not, longevity isn't just about the material. It's also about who owns the crown, and by that, we mean the patient.
You can have one patient who gets a crown and takes very good care of it. They brush, they floss, they go to the dentist regularly, and they do whatever is needed to keep their mouth in a healthy state. That crown may last a very long time.
Another patient can receive the same type of crown but have very different oral health habits or other factors that affect the restoration. They may not brush or floss regularly, they may smoke, or they may have medical conditions or take medications that affect their oral health. All of these factors can influence how long a dental crown lasts. That's why taking good care of your crown and your overall oral health is so important.
How do you care for a same-day dental crown?
The best way to care for your crown is to treat it just like a natural tooth. Brush it, floss it, and take good care of it. Don't abuse it, don't crunch on ice, and avoid using your teeth to bite or chew things they're not meant to. With good oral hygiene and regular dental care, your crown can serve you well for many years.
If you’re ready to schedule an exam or would like to learn more about our services, we’d love to hear from you. Call us at (951) 904-3164 or email [email protected]. We look forward to caring for your smile.