Around 93% of dental crowns last ten years or longer, making crowns an ideal solution for many dental issues.
But what is a dental crown? Dental crowns are a popular dental service that people need for various reasons. These products save teeth, improve the looks of a person's teeth, and provide an easier way to chew and speak.
You might encounter a situation when your dentist recommends one. If so, you might wonder about the benefits.
Keep reading this guide to learn about all the fantastic benefits of dental crowns.
Basics Qualities of Dental Crowns
Before exploring the benefits of dental crowns, we'll begin by explaining what they are. Here are several qualities to understand as you learn about the benefits of dental crowns.
What They Are
A dental crown is something a dentist makes to fit over an existing tooth. In a sense, it's like a tooth shell. The inside is empty, but the entire outside looks like a natural tooth.
Materials They're Made From
Dentists make crowns from several materials, including composite, porcelain, and ceramic. Your dentist can explain the differences to help you select the right type.
In most cases, crowns are tooth-colored, which makes them blend in with your other teeth.
How the Process Works
When you need dental services, such as a crown, your dentist will perform the procedure in two visits. They'll use the first visit to prepare the tooth for the crown and measure it.
Next, they'll use the measurements to create the crown. Some dentists do this in their offices, while others order the crowns from a dental lab.
After completing these steps, the dentist places a temporary crown on the tooth to protect it.
When you come for your second visit, they'll remove the temporary one and place the permanent one on the tooth. Afterward, the dentist will ensure that it fits properly and give you some dental care instructions for the tooth.
Benefits of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are an essential part of good dental health for many people. So, are you ready to learn the benefits? Here are some of the primary ones:
Save Decayed Teeth
You're probably familiar with cavity removals and fillings, but did you know that a tooth can't survive with too much decay? So at some point, a dentist can't fix decay with traditional fillings.
When this occurs, the best tooth care service you can receive is a dental crown. The dentist removes all the old fillings and any new decay before preparing the crown for the tooth.
Without a dental crown, the dentist might have no option other than to extract the tooth.
Save Teeth With Infected Roots
In some cases, decay gets into a tooth's roots. When this occurs, the dentist must perform a root canal, which involves accessing the roots. Unfortunately, the dentist must drill a hole in the tooth to reach the roots.
A tooth is too weak to survive after a root canal on its own. But a dentist can save the tooth by placing a dental crown over it.
Dentists often use crowns when performing root canals to save these teeth instead of extracting them.
Restore Broken Teeth
Dentists can also fix broken teeth with crowns. For example, suppose you chip or crack one of your teeth. A dentist might be able to fix a minor broken tooth with a traditional filling. However, cracked and chipped teeth are weak.
Therefore, dentists strengthen them by placing crowns on the teeth. A crown is a solid piece held in place with cement.
The crown not only strengthens the tooth but also protects it. Cracked and chipped teeth are prone to problems, as bacteria can get inside these teeth. When this occurs, you might end up with infected tooth roots.
Additionally, your teeth will look nicer when you get crowns on them if they're chipped or cracked.
Restore Missing Teeth
Additionally, dentists use dental crowns when replacing missing teeth with dental implants. An implant is a three-part device that begins with the placement of an implant in your jawbone.
However, it doesn't end with the implant. The dentist then inserts a post into the implant and attaches a crown to the post.
Provide Cosmetic Benefits
Dental crowns help save teeth that you might otherwise lose, but they also provide cosmetic benefits. Dentists can suggest crowns for various cosmetic purposes.
First, they might suggest them to fix cracked, chipped, or uneven teeth. A crown can change the way a tooth looks, causing it to look much nicer.
Secondly, dentists suggest crowns for discolored teeth. Remember that crowns are tooth-colored, so a dentist can make a crown any color.
Therefore, if you have a discolored tooth, the dentist can fix the problem with a crown.
Make Chewing and Speaking Easier
If you're missing a tooth or have issues with some of your teeth, you might find that chewing and speaking are difficult tasks to accomplish. After all, you need all your teeth to speak properly and chew.
By placing crowns on your teeth, your dentist can improve your tooth functions. As a result, you might see a significant improvement with how you speak and eat.
These are some of the significant benefits that dental crowns offer, but there are also others. You can talk to a dentist to learn more about these.
Seek Advice From a Dentist
Do you have issues with your teeth? Or, maybe you haven't visited a dentist in a while. The truth is that you might need dental crowns to fix some issues you currently have.
Would you like to visit a dentist in Rock Hill, SC? Contact us at A Healthy Smile for more information or to schedule an appointment. We offer family dental services and can help you improve your smile and oral health.