When a tooth is broken down, chipped, decayed or discoloured, we consider crowns, also known as “caps”, to improve the appearance and health of your smile. Dental crowns improve the strength and esthetics of broken down teeth to enable you to chew again and can also recreate your beautiful and natural-looking smile. You may need a crown if you have had a root canal, cracked tooth or large filling. Crowns are important to prevent badly broken down teeth from further harm. They are also helpful in covering a stained or oddly-shaped tooth. Dental crowns are very natural-looking and the life-like porcelain can be stained to specifically match characteristics of the teeth next to it.

Ever wondered what the difference is between a crown and a filling?

Crowns cover the entire tooth from the gum line so it becomes your new tooth surface because it completely envelopes it. On the other hand, fillings only cover or fill a portion of the tooth, so your natural tooth surface still shows alongside.

CEREC crowns

Lakeridge dental is proud to offer patients an alternative to restore damaged teeth. The CEREC unit uses a tooth colored ceramic to create a beautiful strong tooth in a single visit with no messy impression materials. You can even watch as the machine creates your new tooth digitally!

A dental crown may be the correct course of treatment in the following situations:

1. To prevent a severely weakened tooth (from decay, larger fillings) from fracturing. When a tooth is brittle, your normal chewing forces over time will repeatedly weaken the tooth until it fractures. Although these forces are small, the cycle of wear may ultimately lead to breakage when you are least expecting it!
2. To preserve parts of a cracked tooth
3. To restore an already cracked tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down from grinding, acid exposure, unfavorable chewing forces or a combination
4. To restore and support a tooth with a very large filling when there is not a lot of natural tooth structure left. Filling materials although stronger than those in the past will never match up to the strength of your natural enamel. When a large part of your tooth is made up of restorative material, it is greatly weakened and may benefit from coverage of the tooth
5. To hold a dental bridge in place. Two crowns on either side of the missing teeth will hold the prosthetic teeth in place.
6. To cover uniquely shaped or severely discoloured teeth as long as it does not compromise the health of the natural tooth
7. To cover a dental implant. An implant crown sits on top of the gumline which is attached to the dental implant fixture in bone
8. To make a cosmetic modification. We will carefully plan the position of your teeth through orthodontics, if needed, to preserve tooth health.

How a crown is done:

1. The tooth is conservatively and minimally filed down
2. An impression or mold is taken of the teeth
3. The final crown is custom made for your tooth and cemented in place once the colour, shape and size is assessed

Contact us today and see how we can help you with tooth colored ceramic crown.