Dental Crowns– Sarasota, FL
Make Your Damaged Teeth Look Like New Again
Do you have a noticeable cavity in one tooth that you haven’t gotten around to getting filled? What about a severely chipped tooth that you’re incredibly self-conscious about? Or a seriously stained or discolored tooth that mars your otherwise beautiful smile? In all of these cases, you might benefit from a dental crown in Sarasota. This customized restorative treatment can be used to correct multiple problems with your teeth. Keep reading to learn more about dental crowns and whether they’re right for you.
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!
Dental Crown FAQs
Getting a dental crown generally takes several appointments and requires your tooth to be permanently altered. For that reason, you should be absolutely sure that a crown is right for you before going through with the treatment. To help you be more confident and well-informed in your decision, we’ve included the answers to some frequently asked questions about dental crowns below.
How Much Do Dental Crowns Cost?
Because every dental crown treatment is personalized to meet each patient’s unique needs, there is no fixed cost of getting a crown. We’ll provide you with a cost estimate during your consultation. From there, a member of our team can discuss payment options to help you fit the cost of your crown into your budget.
Keep in mind that even if a dental crown seems expensive, paying for one now will save you money down the road. A crown shields your tooth from future damage that may later require the tooth to be extracted and replaced. Both of these procedures cost more than getting a dental crown, so it’s an investment worth making.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?
Each individual policy differs, but most dental insurance providers consider dental crowns a major restorative procedure and will offer partial coverage (typically around 50% to 80%). Our practice will gladly work with your insurance plan to help you maximize your benefits.
If you don’t have insurance, we have options of making your crown affordable. For instance, we can help you apply for a third-party payment plan through CareCredit and Compassionate Finance. Many of their plans have little to no interest for qualified patients.
Alternatively, you can sign up for our Dental VIP Program. One flat fee will cover all of your preventive care for the year and give you a 15% discount on all other restorative and cosmetic treatments, including crowns. It basically has the same benefits as an insurance plan without any of the waiting periods, deductibles, or annual maximums.
Can I Still Get Cavities with a Dental Crown?
Just because your tooth is covered with a restoration doesn’t mean it is immune to decay or infection. Because of this, you’ll still need to brush and floss on a daily basis, as well as visit us twice a year for checkups and cleanings. When brushing, pay close attention to the area where your crown meets your gums to prevent bacteria from accumulating there.
What’s the Difference Between a Temporary Crown and a Permanent Crown?
A temporary crown is only placed to protect your tooth while the permanent crown is being made in a lab. Since it can take several days or even weeks for them to create your crown, your tooth will need some protection in the meantime (especially considering that some enamel was likely removed to prepare the tooth). Temporary crowns are not as durable as permanent ones, as they are usually made from acrylic or stainless steel rather than porcelain. The way in which it is bonded to your tooth is also not as strong; until you get your permanent crown, you’ll want to avoid chewing anything particularly sticky or crunchy with that tooth.
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