Dental Crowns Restore Damaged Teeth to Full Strength

Did you damage a tooth during a softball game? Has a tooth become weakened due to decay? Whatever the reason for your smile damage, Dr. James Zimmerman in Woodland can address it. Often, beautiful dental crowns are the treatments of choice.

What is a dental crown?

Dental crowns are restorations crafted from porcelain or from 100 percent, high-grade ceramic. Depending on your tooth and the damage it's sustained, Dr. Zimmerman may recommend a dental crown to restore your tooth. He offers innovative CEREC (Chairside Economic Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) crowns, crafted on-site in just about an hour.

A crown completely covers the remaining healthy structure with a tooth-shaped cap. Using digital imaging, the dentist creates a negative imprint of the tooth. From there, he designs and fabricates a cap, or crown, to cover the tooth from its very top to the gum line.

Dental crowns shore up weak enamel, disguise stains, cover teeth treated with root canal therapy and restore dental implants. Additionally, they blend seamlessly with surrounding teeth in color, shape and size. So, smile aesthetics improve dramatically with crown placement.

CEREC crowns work well anywhere in the mouth, especially in the front where biting forces are less and aesthetics are paramount. Dr. Zimmerman takes digital impressions, shapes the tooth to receive the crown, designs the crown with special computer software and then mills it from a solid ceramic block. Fabrication takes about 20 minutes, and then it is bonded in place.

Usually, CEREC crowns need little adjustment for bite and fit because the design and manufacture processes are so precise. And yes, you leave the office with a restored tooth in just one visit!

Other uses for crowns

Crowns anchor fixed bridges to replace one, two or more missing teeth. Also, partial crowns, called inlays and onlays, replace old large fillings lying between the cusps, or corners, of molars or replace the corners themselves. Partial crowns are tooth-colored, all-ceramic restorations created with CEREC processes right in the treatment room.

You can help maintain your crown for many years if you:

• Brush twice daily.
• Floss once a day.
• See Dr. Zimmerman for routine cleanings and examinations.
• Avoid extra-hard foods, such as candy apples
• Wear an acrylic bite guard if you tend to clench or grind your teeth.

Contact us

Your tooth can look and act brand-new with a beautiful dental crown from Dr. James Zimmerman. Call the office in Woodland, CA, for a consultation: (530) 661-1155.