The Dental Crown Procedure is often shrouded in mystery. “Why do I need a crown?” is a common question from many patients whose dentist has recommended a porcelain crown for their tooth
Typically, dental crowns (also known as a tooth cap) are recommended to protect weak teeth. Those teeth that have had large fillings can have the tooth structure around the filling begin to crack. If nothing is done, the cracks can propagate down the root of the tooth, leading to tooth pain or fracture. Sometimes, you may even lose your tooth after a bad break!
When we perform the tooth preparation, we remove a very specific amount of tooth structure. Why not keep all the natural tooth, and not trim the tooth at all? Well, if we tried to do that, the dental crown couldn’t fit on the tooth at all without getting in the way of the other teeth in the patient’s mouth. We need to respect the bite, and we also need to make sure the porcelain we put on the tooth is thick enough so that it doesn’t break, either.
In other words, we’re deciding how much to remove based on the following parameters: Dental Crown Esthetics, Tooth Health (by only removing what we must), the Patient’s Bite, and the Material Attributes of the Porcelain Crown itself.
There are risks involved with any dental procedure. We only recommend a porcelain crown when the risk of leaving a tooth without intervention is HIGHER than the risk of performing a conservative dental crown.
If you have any questions about dental crowns, let me know and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
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