Dental crown

A Dental crown can be placed on a tooth for a variety of reasons. It is essentially a permanent cover that fits over a tooth. Dental crowns can be used to lighten, reshape and realign existing teeth or conversely can strengthen a cracked, damaged, decayed or root-treated tooth.

A dental Crowns can be made of a variety of materials, Zirconia, E-max (lithium disilicate), gold or a mixture of metal and porcelain.

 

 

Different quality crowns

Many of you will have had crowns that have fallen off or have looked like a lump of chewing gum in your mouth. Here at Zen Smile Dental Clinic, your prosthodontist Dr Carolyn Carbasse (specialist in dental crowns, bridges, veneers and their aesthetics), will advise you as to the ideal material for your crown depending on the position of your tooth, your needs and the amount that you wish to spend.However at Zen Smile Dental Clinic, we do not offer low cost or sub-standard crowns.

It is better to remain with your natural tooth than spend a little on a poor quality crown as you will end up regretting that expenditure due to the problems it will cause. In our clinic we will only crown a tooth that we believe will last, we use only the best materials available on the market and the best laboratories and ceramists.Our crowns are scanned and milled by a computer thus eliminating human error in their fabrication.

The exact different shades of colour and translucency are conveyed by the prosthodontist to the ceramist and together they confer to produce a tooth that is the exact replica of those in the mouth. 

Cleaning and maintenance of the crown

The crown should be cleaned exactly as you maintain the hygiene of the rest of the teeth. Daily brushing, flossing and interdental cleaning will keep teeth, gums and a new crown free from the bacteria that can cause decay or gum disease. Given proper care, dental crowns can last decades and even a life time.

What to expect when having a crown

First Appointment : Preparing the tooth for the crown

During the preparation visit for the crown, the dentist shapes the existing tooth into a particular shape over which the crown will be easily cemented at the second visit. The impression of your teeth is then taken and sent to the dental laboratory where permanent, custom-made crowns are milled by CAD-CAM and the porcelain placed by a ceramist. This usually takes 1-2 weeks. During this interim period a temporary crown of acrylic resin is fitted to the prepared tooth.

Second Appointment : Fit of the crown

At the visit of the fit of the crown, the dentist removes the temporary crown and makes sure the permanent crown fits perfectly in height and width and ensures that the colour is to your liking. If all is perfect the crown is cemented into place.