Dental crowns are permanent, custom-made restorations that resemble a hollow, tooth-shaped cap placed over a natural tooth. Crowns are designed to be used in implant cases when a missing tooth needs to be replaced if it has been lost due to decay, disease or an accident. Usually, a dentist inserts the artificial dental implant into the jaw bone to offer support and hold a crown in place. This is helpful because there isn't a root structure or natural tooth to do so.

Reasons cosmetic dentists recommend dental crowns

A crown's main purpose is restoring the shape, size, strength and functionality of a tooth and enhancing its appearance. Listed below are situations where your dentist may recommend a crown:

• Replacing a broken, failing or old tooth filling
• Protecting a weakened or cracked tooth. It holds the tooth together and prevents it from breaking
• Restoring a broken tooth
• Covering and supporting a tooth containing a large filling in case no natural tooth structure is left
• Covering a dental implant
• Holding dental bridges in their right place
• Making cosmetic modifications like closing any space between teeth or rotating or reshaping teeth
• Restoring length on worn-down teeth

Types of crowns

There is a wide range of permanent and temporary dental crowns you can consider. The crowns are made using different materials so a dentist will assist you to pick a suitable one depending on your needs and preferences:

Metals — A metal crown usually includes base-metal alloys such as nickel-chromium and cobalt-chromium or high platinum/gold content. The alloys are capable of enduring wear and tear experienced due to long-term biting and chewing. Due to this feature, metal crowns are considered to be durable because they hardly break or chip. However, their colour is their main con, which is why most people use them for molars.

Stainless steel — This type of crown is a temporary solution that's used for the tooth or filling as another permanent crown is being prepared. These crowns are mainly used for kids to protect their primary teeth from additional decay.

Porcelain fused on metal — This kind of crown is one of the best options for both back and front teeth or when one has a bridge that needs to be strengthened. The main advantage of porcelain is its great appearance; its colour can be matched to the other natural neighbouring teeth. However, this material shows more wear and can break off over time.

For more information, contact a local dental clinic like Care Dental.