What are dental crowns?

Dental crowns are simple, explained as being a prosthetic restoration meant to act as a replacement of a lost or broken portion of the coronal segment of a particular tooth (part of the tooth you can see above the gum line).

How long will a crown last?

That is by far the hardest question to answer to any patient asking the question. The Insurance industry deems that any crown that has been in service for five years can be replaced with a new one and be charged out to the patient. Is this then our standard of care? Well not really, it is just the expected industry norm. A crown that is properly placed and then properly maintained by the patient and checked periodically by the doctor could last longer than that. Usually crowns needing replacement are still in good shape, but the patient inadvertantly allows for secondary decay to occur on the tooth structure that the crown sits on, or the tooth fractures off at the root. These things could occur due to lack of care on the patient's part, and as a result of an external blow to the mouth, or the onset of what we call a "para functional habit " or, tooth grinding beyond the expected norm.

When is a crown necessary?

A crown becomes necessary any time a tooth requires a large restoration that causes the Doctor to precaution the patient, that the tooth may break with normal use. Usually there is too much unsupported tooth structure, exposed and sensitive roots which have not responded to desensitizing therapy, or there are prior restorations on the tooth too large to repair without compromising the tooth's integrity. Secondary caries or decay adjacent to an existing large filling on that tooth is usually the cause. The need could also exist due to a fracture within the tooth, or after root canal treatment that has had the tooth undermined to remove all decay leaving behind a hollow in the tooth too large to fill without external support. At other times a crown may be necessary for cosmetic correction of a smile, to splint or "tie " loose teeth together, or as anchors for removable bridge work in which the patient doesn't wish to show clasp work in their smile, to build up a bite level of the patient, or as a functioning tooth cover for an dental implant.