What are dental crowns?

A crown is a type of dental restoration that fully cups over that portion of a tooth or dental implant that lies at and above the gum line.

Once placed, it in effect becomes the tooth's new outer surface. In comparison, a dental filling just fills in or repairs a portion of a tooth.

Dental crowns are permanently cemented into place. The tooth-crown unit that results is cared for and functions like any natural tooth.

Why are crowns placed?

There are a several different reasons why a dental crown might be made for a tooth. Dentists routinely use them to:

• Repair and strengthen damaged teeth.
• Improve the appearance of teeth (including color, shape and even apparent alignment).

While some treatment alternatives and options do exist, no other kind of dental restoration provides the exact same set of benefits and advantages as a crown.

What kinds of materials are dental crowns made out of?

Crowns can be made out of:

• Porcelain (or other type of dental ceramic.)
• Metal alloy.
• A combination of dental ceramic and metal alloy (porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns).

Each of the above types of crowns has its own characteristic advantages and disadvantages, and therefore its own set of most-suited applications.

How long do dental crowns last?

It would be reasonable to expect that a dental crown could last between five and fifteen years.

It's our hope that any crown we make for you will last ten years or longer.

Depending upon the general wear and tear the crown is exposed to (chewing and biting forces, accidental trauma, tooth grinding) and how well you keep the tooth free of dental plaque, a crown can last indefinitely.