How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?

A dental crown is a tooth-colored caped placed over your tooth to cover different dental problems to help restore the shape, strength, and size and improve the appearance of your teeth and smile. When cemented, the crowns will fully cover the entire visible portion of your teeth and lie above the gum line.

Read along to understand why a dental crown may be needed, how the dental crown process is done and how long the dental crown can last.

Why are Dental Crowns Needed?

You may need a dental crown if you want to:

• Protect a weak tooth from breaking
• Cover a dental implant
• Cover severely discolored or mishappened teeth
• Hold a dental bridge in place
• Cover and support a tooth with a dental filling when there aren’t many teeth left.

The Steps Involved In Placing A Dental Crown in Spring

The preparation of a tooth for a crown requires two visits to your dentist. The first step involves examining and preparing your tooth, while the second visit consists of the placement of your permanent crown.

1. Examining and Preparing the Tooth

At the first visit, in preparation for your crown, your dentist will take a few x-rays to check your tooth’s roots and the surrounding crown before receiving the crown. If your teeth have a sensitive decay or a risk of an infection or an injury to your tooths pulp, then a root canal treatment must be performed first.

Before the placement of your dental crown begins, your dentist will administer anesthesia to your tooth and gum tissue. The tooth receiving the dental crown is then reshaped along the chewing surface and the sides to make room for your crown. The amount to be removed will depend on the dental crown types used. For instance, if a large area of your teeth is missing due to decay or damage, your dentist must fill it first to build up the tooth to support the dental crown.

After reshaping your dental crown, the dentist will use a paste or putty to make an impression on the tooths to receive the dental crown. Impressions can also be made with a digital scanner. Impressions of the teeth above and below the tooth that needs the dental crown will be made to ensure that the dental crown does not affect your bite.

The scans and impressions are then sent to the lab, where the dental crown will be made. The crown is returned to the dental office after two or three weeks. If the dental crown is made from porcelain, your dentist will select the shade that closely matches the color of your teeth.

Your dentist will also make a temporary crown to cover and protect your prepared tooth as you wait for your permanent crown. The temporary crowns are usually made of acrylic and hale using temporary cement.

2. Receiving the Permanent Crown

Once the crown is ready, you must return to your dentist’s office for permanent crown placement. Your dentist in 77379 will receive the temporary crown and cheek if it fits and if the color matches your teeth. Your dentist will numb your teeth and cement the new crown if everything is acceptable.

How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?

On average dental crowns can last between five and 15 years. The life span, however, depends on how much tear and wear the crown is exposed to, how well you follow an oral hygiene practice, and mouth-related habits like biting fingernails, chewing ice, or using your teeth to open the packaging.

How Should You Care For Your Temporary Dental Crown?

Since the temporary crowns are just a quick fix until your crowns are ready, your dentist will advise you to follow these precautions:

• Minimize the use of the side of your mouth with the temporary crown. Shift the bulk of the chewing to the other side of the mouth
• Avoid sticky and chewy foods like caramel and chewing gums which have the potential of pulling off and grabbing your crown.
• Avoid chewing on hard foods like raw vegetables that can dislodge or break the crown
• Slide your dental floss rather than lifting it while cleaning between your teeth to avoid pulling off the temporary crown.

If you are looking for dentistry offering dental crowns near you, visit The Smile Designer of Spring.