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What are dental crowns?

What are dental crowns?

Teeth can get damaged over time for multiple reasons, such as tooth decay, injuries or time. Teeth can lose their shape or size. Dental crowns are tooth-shaped cover or “cap” that is out over a tooth to restore a damaged tooth’s shape, size, strength, and improve your tooth’s shape, size, strength and appearance.

Your dentist may recommend a crown for the following situations:

  • To protect a weak tooth from breaking or to hold it together on a cracked tooth
  • To restore a tooth when there isn’t enough natural tooth structure remaining
  • To support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth left
  • To hold a dental bridge in place
  • To cover misshaped or severely discolored tooth
  • To cover a dental implant
  • To make a cosmetic modification
  • To attach a bridge to replace missing teeth

For children, a crown may be used on primary (baby) teeth in order to:

  • To save a tooth that’s been significantly damaged by decay and can’t support a filling
  • To protect the teeth of a child at high risk for tooth decay, especially when a child has difficulty keeping up with daily oral hygiene
  • To decrease the frequency of general anesthesia for children because of age, behavior, or medical history to fully cooperate with the requirements of proper dental care

What are dental crowns made of?

  • Metal
  • Porcelain-fused-to-metal
  • Stainless steel
  • All resin
  • All-ceramic or all-porcelain
  • Pressed ceramic

How long do dental crowns last?

On average, dental crowns can last from 5 and 15 years. The life of a crown can depend on the amount of “wear and tear” the crown is exposed to, how well you follow oral hygiene practices and personal mouth-related habits. These mouth-related habits can include things like:

  • Grinding or clenching your teeth
  • Chewing ice
  • Biting your fingernails
  • Using your teeth to open packaging

Do dental crowns require special care?

There’s no special care needed for a crowned tooth. The only thing that you should continue is following good oral hygiene practices. These practices consist of brushing twice a day and flossing once a day, especially around the crown where the gum meets the tooth. You will need to avoid biting on hard surfaces with a porcelain crown to prevent cracking the porcelain.

How much do dental crowns cost?

The costs of dental crowns can vary depending on where you live and/or the type of crown you pick. Porcelain crowns are typically more expensive than gold crowns, which are typically more expensive than porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. Dental crowns range in cost from $800 or more per crown. Most of the time the cost of crowns is not usually fully covered by insurance. To be certain, check with your specific dental insurance company.

Schedule a dental appointment with the Plano dentists and Melissa dentist

Fred Haight DDS is an emergency dentist located in Plano, TX and Melissa, TX. To request an appointment for emergency dental care, call 972-527-5555 or request an appointment online. While you wait to see our dentist, it’s important to protect your tooth so it stays intact. Contact Haight Family Dentistry in at our Plano or our Melissa, TX by calling 972-527-5555 or request an appointment online.