A bright, even smile indicates happiness and health. Sadly, if your smile is marred by cracked, chipped, or missing teeth, your self-confidence and the structural integrity of your mouth suffer as a result.
One way to improve teeth appearance is to repair cracked, chipped, or broken teeth by visiting your dentist to be fitted for a dental crown. Dental crowns restore structure to your teeth, and because they are made of tooth-coloured material, they also improve the appearance of your smile. Learn about this restorative dental treatment and how a dental crown can give you a fuller, brighter smile.
What is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is an artificial tooth cap or covering that fits on top of a damaged tooth. Dental crowns are made of ceramic, metal, glass, or porcelain. The dental crown sits over the broken tooth to protect it from further damage and to reinforce strength and improve the tooth’s appearance.
Typically, dental crowns are advised when a tooth is broken or decayed or to protect a tooth in danger of breaking. This type of crown treatment is one of several restorative dental treatments meant to improve your tooth’s function and stability.
Dental crowns are also used as a cosmetic dental treatment, meant to improve teeth appearance rather than solely the function of the teeth. In this case, tooth-coloured dental crowns cover stained or misshapen teeth.
Different Types of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are made from different materials. Each type of dental crown offers benefits for your smile. Most dental practices can offer their patients a choice when it comes to the material for their crowns, so speak with your dentist if you have questions about what your crown is made of.
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Porcelain
Porcelain crowns look natural and go a long way to improve teeth appearance. They are often used on front teeth because they are aesthetically pleasing. Porcelain is less durable than other materials, so it’s not ideal for some tooth locations, like the molars.
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Ceramic
Ceramic dental crowns are very natural in appearance and work well for people with allergies to metals. Ceramic, like porcelain, is not as durable as other crown materials. However, when ceramic or porcelain crowns are bonded to metal crowns, they produce strong and visually pleasing results.
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Composite Resin
Resin crowns are made of glass beads and tooth-coloured plastics. They are combined into a smooth, tooth-coloured crown that looks great next to your natural teeth. Resins are affordable; however, they wear down faster than other crowns and are primarily used for temporary periods.
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Metal
Metal dental crowns are durable and long-lasting. They are also the most cost-effective option. The only downside to metal crowns is that they are gold or silver in colour, which is not necessarily ideal if you want to improve teeth appearance. However, this material works well on hidden back molars.
Dental Crown Treatment
The typical dental crown treatment process includes an initial consultation, an appointment during which your dentist prepares your tooth and takes a mould for the laboratory, and a final appointment when your dentist seals your crown to your tooth with dental cement or adhesive. This process takes a week or two and several trips to the dental practice.
No Gaps Dental offers a new type of crown treatment called CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics).
This procedure utilises computer-assisted technology to create and install a ceramic crown the same day. Rather than the traditional mould creation process, your dentist will take a 3D impression of your mouth using a digital scanner that feeds the image to a computer. A milling machine then cuts a crown that is a perfect fit for the patient’s mouth.
CEREC crowns are fast and mean less hassle for you in making appointments or wearing temporary crowns.
Benefits of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are both cosmetic and restorative. They reinforce your original tooth’s structure, which makes it more stable and durable. This reinforcement increases the functionality and longevity of the crown tooth and the surrounding teeth.
In addition to structural integrity, crowns serve as a cosmetic fix for unpleasantly shaped or discoloured teeth in an otherwise perfect smile. Dental crowns are custom-made for each patient, and often technicians can match your crown to the exact shade of your teeth.
Crowns come in various materials, making it easy to find an affordable option for your dental crown treatment. If you cannot afford a porcelain or ceramic dental crown, your dentist may be able to offer you a composite resin, metal, or a combination of materials to suit your budgetary needs.
Finally, dental crowns last a long time. If you practice good oral hygiene and visit your dentist as recommended, a crown protects your tooth for over ten years.
Alternative Teeth Improvement Options
Although dental crowns are one option for tooth improvement, there are many other treatments to explore to help your smile shine.
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Cosmetic: Veneers or Whitening
Veneers offer you a full smile restoration. These are best for people with healthy teeth who want more uniformity and a brighter colour.
Tooth whitening is also great for improving the colour of your teeth. It is fairly inexpensive and can be performed quickly by your dentist.
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Restorative: Implants or Dentures
Dentures or implants are good options for people with one or more missing teeth. Implants function like regular teeth and are secured to your gums, while dentures are removable false teeth that give you regular function and appearance.
Improve Your Smile With No Gaps Dental
The helpful team at No Gaps Dental is ready to assist you in improving your smile. Our dentists can go over any questions you have about dental crowns or other restorative and cosmetic dental treatments to enhance your smile. We have multiple locations across New South Wales for your convenience.
Schedule a consultation today at (02) 8007 6727 or book an appointment online.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.