What are Crowns

A dental crown can be used for a number of reasons. Mainly, dental crowns are used to strengthen a tooth, to change the shape or appearance of a tooth, or to deal with cavities and other problems that develop. Unlike a filing, which just goes into the center cavity of a tooth that has formed, or a cap which goes only on the bottom or top of a tooth, a dental crown goes over the entire visible surface of your teeth. It essentially becomes the new outside of the tooth, and is a complete case that your tooth goes in.

Why Use Dental Crowns?

Because a dental crown goes over your tooth and covers the entire tooth, it essentially becomes your new tooth surface. This can be helpful if your existing tooth surface was decayed, discolored or misshapen. The dental crown can fit over the tooth and correct any and all of those problems. As such, it can improve the appearance of your mouth dramatically.

A dental crown can also make your teeth stronger. Because a new outer layer is essentially being put on the tooth, the tooth becomes stronger and more secure. If the enamel on the existing tooth was damaged, the new outer layer from the crown can also correct this problem, providing better protection for the surface of the tooth so that bacteria, plaque and tartar cannot continue to damage the tooth's actual surface. The surface of the crown is stronger and better able to withstand these bacteria and plague than existing teeth with damaged enamel.

Dental crowns are also easy for a dentist to create, since he just has to take a mold of your teeth and the crown can then be made outside of your mouth and fitted in. Dental crowns can be made from ceramic or porcelain, which tends to look the most natural, or from some type of metal or metal mixture. Gold crowns, for example, are flashy options designed to make a statement, while standard ceramic or porcelain crowns may be designed to achieve a better natural style.

Generally, crowns last anywhere from five years to fifteen years after being put in by your dentist. The length of time your crowns last will depend on the type of crowns, the strength of the material your dentist used, and whether you are able to successfully care for the crowns to ensure their longevity.