Protect and Preserve: The Role of Dental Crowns in Oral Health

Oral health involves keeping the teeth functional and healthy for as long as possible, and a dental crown is one way to do this after a tooth has been damaged. Damage does not necessarily equate to losing a tooth, though it can if treatment does not occur quickly enough. Fortunately, a dental crown is simple to install in most cases, so patients whose teeth need additional support and preservation have access to an effective method of preserving their oral health.

However, many people become nervous when they learn that they may need to get a crown. To ease your fears, read on to learn how crowns work and what you can expect during the procedure.

How dental crowns preserve oral health

Dental crowns create new teeth surfaces to replace what has been lost to trauma or decay. While they may need to be replaced occasionally, they are long-term solutions for patients whose teeth need extra help.

What dental crowns do

Think of a dental crown like a tooth cap. If part of a tooth is missing or weak, the dentist can cap it with a strong material that creates a new biting surface so the patient can continue to use the tooth like normal. Dental crowns look just like regular teeth and can even be color-matched to the shade of the patient’s dentition.

The dentist typically starts the crown process by taking a mold of the mouth. They send this data to a fabrication lab, which will custom create a crown that is shaped just like the affected tooth. At the second appointment, the dentist removes part of the tooth surface so the crown can fit. When the crown is ready, they will cement it onto the tooth and let it cure, and afterward, patients can use it just like a regular tooth!

Who might need a dental crown

Patients may need dental crowns for various reasons, but the two most common ones are dental decay and trauma. Crowns help hold teeth together, so if a person has had multiple cavities in one tooth, over time, that tooth may have so many holes and weakened areas that it threatens to break apart. A crown can hold this tooth together.

Similarly, if a person loses a chunk of a tooth due to trauma like a blow to the face, a crown may be more effective than dental bonding. Since crowns are molded to suit each person’s bite, teeth can be restored with little to no visual or functional difference.

Do dental crowns hurt?

Like with fillings, dental crowns should not hurt. The patient will be numbed while the dentist removes any necessary tooth material prior to crown placement. Once the crown is cemented into its spot, it completely covers the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth to protect them. Some patients may experience minor sensitivity to hot and cold for a little while after crown placement, but this should fade.