Dental Crowns in Stamford, CT

Teeth are far more than simply tools to masticate and speak. We at Aurora Smiles in Stamford, CT believe that they do much more to your health and well-being. While a great smile may undoubtedly give you some confidence, your health will depend on your dental health too. Among the restorative treatments offered in our clinic, dental crowns take the cake as one of the most crucial restorative treatments for a patient’s tooth. It restores damaged or compromised teeth with better functionality and appearance.

We are going to discuss what dental crowns are, benefits that can be derived, why you would need one, the types of crowns there are, and how to obtain a crown. All this, from a tooth which has become decayed or cracked, even down to enhancing a smile, using a dental crown as an ideal and sure bet.

What Is a Dental Crown?

A Dental crown is basically an over-cap applied over an impaired or weakened tooth to restore its shape, size, strength, and appearance. It acts like some sort of protection shield to the possibility of further damage to the tooth so that it can function once more following the event of damage. It serves as a kind of mask for your tooth, covering its weakness and pressures from biting and chewing.

Crowns are dental solutions that are very versatile. They can be used to solve many types of dental issues. These include several uses such as:

• To mend a fractured or broken tooth: In case the tooth is broken because of an accident or some kind of injury, the crown holds the tooth intact so it would not break anymore.
• Restoring a damaged tooth: Teeth severely decayed with large cavities, or after a root canal procedure tend to fracture. A crown therefore forms the foundation in strengthening such weaker teeth.
• Beauty purposes: Crowns can also serve aesthetic purposes beautifying or improving the overall appearance of crookedly formed teeth, small or large unevenly shaped with discolorations.
• When one has been replaced with a missing tooth by doing a dental implant, the end is capped up with a crown at the top of the dental implant and restores all the functional and aesthetic character of a lost tooth.

Crowns as restorative dentistry offers an all-around service with an answer for functionalities and aesthetics toward any dental disorder.

Why may I need to see a dental crowning?

There are various reasons why your dentist will prescribe a dental crown. Some common situations that require a dental crown include the following:

• Restoration of Severely Decayed Tooth
  Where the decay on a tooth has been extensive, the use of a dental crown will be suitable. Since the filling cannot regain its normal functionality, a common filling is not suitable. A crown will cover the tooth completely so that it will protect it from further decay and restore its strength and functionality, especially in case of back teeth due to heavy biting and chewing forces.
• Tooth Repair or Protection Cracked or Broken Tooth
  It is prone to further breaking anytime when one cracks or breaks one especially every time when trying to chew or bite. One can use dental crown to hold such a tooth because it would no longer crack on further stability; hence you become free and may continue in its use without uneasiness, nor further cracking.
• Dental Implant Restoration
  The remaining space after the extraction of a tooth can be replaced by a dental implant. This is the new root of the tooth, and a crown on top will restore the entire area. A crown is a full, natural-appearing restoration of the missing tooth, allowing you to speak, eat, and smile without any embarrassment.
• Restoring the Appearance of a Severely Discolored or Misshapen Tooth
  Besides the kinds of benefits outlined above, crowns are a remedy to aesthetic dental issues. In case your tooth is extremely discolored, misshapen, or is of a strange size, the crown may mask the tooth, and then your tooth looks just like its old self. It’s especially great for front teeth since porcelain crowns match exactly with natural teeth.
• After a Root Canal Procedure
  The tooth that has been treated with a root canal is usually weakened since the pulp and nerves inside it are removed. This tooth is easily prone to fracture because it is exposed. The treated tooth gets a crown on top that gives structural support and protects it from breaking again.

Types of Dental Crowns

The crowns are manufactured from a number of different materials, and each has its very own particular merits. What material is used depends on many factors including the area of the tooth, the extent of damage and aesthetic choice. Here are some of the common types of crowns:

• Porcelain Crowns
  Cosmetic treatment preferred by the patient is porcelain crowns. Porcelain crowns are crowns made from the best-quality ceramic material and look very close to natural teeth. They are used for the front teeth since they look much like other neighboring teeth and a smooth smile will be achieved since translucency and texture make the crown almost undistinguishable from the natural tooth.
• Metal Crowns
  Crowns are manufactured by alloys of gold, platinum, or base metal alloys. These crowns have a very good rigidity value and are hence very suitable for posterior teeth, as they withstand the highest forces of mastication and of the hind regions’ biting. Crowns of metal are very much resistant to corrosion and wear out and thus prove long duration of durability. However, they don’t have the aesthetic aspect of porcelain crowns, and most of them are for molars or when you do not flash your smile.
• Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal Crowns (PFM)
  This kind of crowns tries to merge a metal core with the aesthetic of porcelain. Metal is used for the inner part of the crown to make it hard-wearing, and the outer surface is made up of porcelain in order to achieve a natural color of the teeth. PFM crowns are durable as well as aesthetically pleasing; therefore, they can be used for both front and back teeth. Crowns are most sought after when a patient wants to have a crown that is functional and aesthetically beautiful.
• Zirconia Crowns
  Zirconia is a type of material for crowns considered to be highly robust. Crowns made out of zirconia are very tough and resistant to wear and cracking. They may be used to cover front or back teeth; therefore, it is ideal at any location within the mouth. These zirconia crowns are biocompatible hence can not initiate any allergic response towards the sensitivity patients exhibit with metals. Therefore, in aesthetic terms combined with strength properties, the said crowns give out the excellence suitable for so many patients.

Procedure of Receiving Dental Crowns

Receiving dental crowns mainly occurs on two consecutive trips to your dentist’s office that consist of preparing visits and final placements. Following are the information one is provided concerning the aforementioned two visits in a nutshell.

• Visit 1: Preparation Visit
  Preparation for the treatment of the crown begins by preparation of the involved tooth. Before the dentist sets to work, the dentist would take an X-ray viewing just how much damage has occurred within that tooth. In most cases, if the tooth is badly decayed or fractured, reshaping is necessary to allow enough space for a crown. Reshaping generally includes removal of damaged tissue, and then some areas are filled with fill material to shape the tooth enough for a crown to fit.

Once the tooth is reshaped, your dentist will take an impression of the tooth in order to make a crown that fits you. This impression is sent to a dental laboratory, where your permanent crown will be fabricated. During this time, a temporary crown will be placed to protect the tooth.

• Visit 2: Placing the Crown
  You will be called to come and collect your permanent crown once it is ready. The temporary crown is removed by the dentist, and he checks how the permanent crown fits in your mouth, then readjusts the color so as not to clash with the rest of your natural teeth. The permanent crown will smoothly fit in your mouth. Some adjustments may be done to fit perfectly.

Once this fit and appearance are fine, the dentist will cement that crown in his or her patient’s mouth. He or she will also measure the bite such that the crowned tooth will well align with any other tooth found in your dental formula.

Benefits of Dental Crowns

Tooth crowning has numerous advantages, which embrace but are not restricted to:

• Normal Functionality: crowns will see you chewing freely, biting easily, and allowing you to voice without so much pain over a damaged tooth.
• Better Appearance: Crowns are manufactured in such a manner that they would perfectly blend with your own teeth. Their early results would enhance the beauty of stained, crooked or chipped teeth.
• Protection: Crowns serve as protective covers for weakened or damaged teeth from further injury, or decayed, or fractures.
• Durable: With proper care, crowns can last a long time; normally, 10 to 15 years or even more for an extended time solution in restorative tooth restoring.

Alternatives of Dental Crowns

Crowns are truly effective for most problems of the tooth, however some other options could be applied according to the case in cases of small problems:

• Fillings: Where only minor destruction in the interior structure of a tooth has been produced, only a simple filling could be done to close it back. These are employed when holes appear small enough that do not reshape a much of a part of a tooth as do a crown.
• Inlays or Onlays: If the destruction is not much, then it may be filled by an inlay or onlay. An inlay or an onlay is a partial crown, that means only part of the tooth is covered whereas in case of full crown the whole of the tooth is covered.

How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?

The lifespan of a crown is determined by several factors. These include the material used in making the dental crown, where the crown was placed, and how well one takes care of oral hygiene. On average, crowns may last for a period of between 10 and 15 years, though, in some instances, longer depending on good care. Here are tips to maximize the life of a dental crown:

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush.
• Clean between your crown and the adjacent teeth with floss removing all the food particles and plaque.
• Do not chew on ice or any hard candy, as these can damage your crown.
• Schedule regular checkups and cleanings with your dentist.

Book an Appointment

If you have dental issues that can be solved with a crown, or want to smile brighter, Aurora Smiles is here to help one of the best dentist in Stamford CT, Dr. Amul Patel and our experienced staff at  our office are dedicated to personalized, caring treatment to best serve you. Call today to schedule your appointment with us and let’s discover how restorations using crowns might just be able to help make you smile bigger with better health and self-esteem in your smile.

At Aurora Smiles, we are completely dedicated to serving you in establishing a healthier and more beautiful, lifetime smile.