Dental Crowns– Sarasota, FL

What Is a Dental Crown?

Dental crowns are restorations that are sometimes also called “caps” because they are designed to fit snugly over the whole visible portion of a tooth. They are designed to restore a tooth’s size, shape, and function back to what it once was. Crowns can be made of many different materials, like gold, zirconia, ceramic, but here at Tindal Prosthodontics, we use dental porcelain because of its uncanny ability to mimic tooth enamel. Since we’ll take care to precisely match the color of your crown with the enamel of your surrounding teeth, no one should know that it’s not your “real” tooth.

Benefits of Dental Crowns

Generally, when teeth are badly damaged, your only options are to either repair them or to get them extracted. Because missing teeth can put you at a greater risk for multiple oral health problems, we typically suggest repairing the tooth whenever possible. In addition to saving your tooth from needing an extraction, dental crowns offer the following benefits:

• Aesthetics: Crowns are matched to your specific dental needs. They will look and feel like a completely natural part of your smile, to the point where only Tindal and the rest of our dental team will be able to tell it’s a crown.
• Durability: Although you’ll still want to refrain from chewing on ice, hard candies, popcorn kernels, etc., you’ll be able to eat crunchy foods to your heart’s content.
• Longevity: Provided you take good care of your crown with regular brushing, flossing, and checkups with us, your restoration can last for years to come.

Am I a Good Candidate for a Dental Crown?

Dental crowns are excellent for treating all of these situations:

• Covering a single dental implant
• Restoring a tooth that is too weak to sustain a filling or already has a large filling
• Restoring a tooth that has lost more than half of its original structure to decay
• Repairing a tooth that has been chipped or cracked, whether from trauma or teeth grinding
• Protecting a tooth after root canal therapy
• Improving the appearance of a cosmetically imperfect tooth

The Process of Getting a Dental Crown

To begin the process, we numb the treatment area with local anesthetic. Then, we reduce the tooth in size by removing a thin layer of enamel from the tooth’s surface. Next, we take an impression of your prepped tooth and send that off to a dental lab, where your restoration will be created to our exact specifications by a team of skilled ceramists. In the meantime, we’ll affix you with a temporary crown to protect your tooth. A few weeks later, when your crown is ready, we’ll replace your temporary with your permanent one, and voila! Your tooth is good as new!

How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?

While the average crown lasts anywhere from 10-15 years, they have the potential to last even longer than that if you take proper care of them. That involves:

• Avoiding clenching or grinding your teeth, or wearing a nightguard to treat this problem
• Refraining from chewing on ice, hard candies, fingernails, etc.
• Brush and floss every day
• Attend checkups and cleanings with us at least twice a year

Are you ready to make your damaged teeth look like new again? Dental crowns may be just the thing your smile needs. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!