A lot of people ask- "What is a crown?" "Is it going to be gold?" "If I get a crown do I have to have a root canal?" "How long do they last?"
There are a lot of questions, and we have the answers!
"What is a crown?" A crown or as some people know it "a cap" is a permanent restoration for a tooth that needs more than just a filling. The tooth is prepped, an impression is taken, and then a temporary crown is placed for about 2 weeks. A crown will then be placed over the prepped tooth. It covers the entirety of the tooth surface. It is often the option for someone with a crack in their tooth to prevent the crack from worsening, or for someone who has significant decay and has lost a lot of tooth surface.
"Is it going to be gold?" We typically do not do gold crowns unless specifically requested. The modern crowns are strong and durable with a material called Monolithic Zirconia, or depending on the tooth just a standard porcelain crown- they are tooth colored so they are more aesthetically pleasing as well.
"If I get a crown do I have to have a root canal?" - This is a very common question, and a good one to ask! You do often times need a root canal if the decay is not caught in time and it is deep to the nerve. If the dentist sees that it is going to need a Root Canal he/she will tell you and we can figure that out together. A lot of times you do not need a root canal and you are able to just get a crown and buildup. Sometimes you get a crown and then 1-5 years later it gives you some pain or sensitivity, and the tooth may end up needing to get a Root Canal then. So to answer this question it truly is a case by case situation. A benefit to having a temporary on for two weeks is that if you do have sensitivity or pain in that time, we will be able to go ahead and refer you to an endodontist or call you back in to our office to get a root canal before we cement your permanent crown. In the case that we do cement your crown and you need a Root Canal down the road- you will not have to get a new crown, they will just do the Root Canal through your crown by drilling a small hole through the occlusal (top/chewing surface) and we will fill it with a permanent material after the Root Canal is performed.
"How long do they last?" This is another great question! Crowns are case by case in a lot of ways. Sometimes crowns have a very long lifetime (20+ years) and sometimes they do not have such a long prognosis (due to there being a crack in the tooth that eventually gives way, a heavy bite that finally snaps the tooth, improper cleaning/at home care, decay getting back in the crown) the care and maintenance of your crown is really important. If you are wanting the best bang for your buck you will need to continue to have regular cleaning and checkups so we can monitor your crown(s) via X-ray/clinical exams.
If you have any other questions, feel free to call and we will explain it step by step for you!
-Darla Grace DeShazo