Crown Magnificence

A crown is a type of dental restoration; a tooth-shaped cap, which is put in by your dentist to cover a tooth, re-establishing its shape, size, strength, and appearance to its former beauty.

They are needed for numerous reasons:
– To restore a broken or worn down tooth
– To stop a large cavity from threatening the health of a tooth
– To guard a weak/decaying tooth from breaking
– To hold parts of a cracked tooth together
– To hold a dental bridge in place
– To cover mis-shapened or severely discoloured teeth
– To make a cosmetic alteration

Here’s how dentists go about it

They prepare your tooth so that the crown can sit securely on its throne (decaying tooth). They take an impression of the tooth and gums to send to a dental lab where the crown is prepared. In the meantime, a temporary crown is put in its place.

Crown Types

Firstly, there’s the stainless steel crown, which is used as a temporary measure. It is sort of like an appetizer – does the job while your main meal is prepared. This type of crown is commonly used on children’s primary teeth, because they are easier to put it, and come out naturally as the primary tooth makes way for the permanent tooth.

Metal crowns can be made from alloys of gold, palladium, nickel, chromium and so on. They are good at withstanding biting and chewing forces, and do not wear out or chip/break quickly. Sadly, they are very evident and “in-your-face” (literally and figuratively), so they are a good option for molars that are not too visible.

Porcelain-metal crowns are those in which porcelain is fused to metal and shaped to fit your teeth. They are tooth-coloured crowns, and can almost accurately match your adjacent teeth, so no one will really know. On the downside, more wearing can occur to the opposing teeth, as compared with other types of crowns, and sometimes, the metal shows through as a dark line at the edge near the gum. These crowns work well for front as well as back teeth.

All-resin dental crowns, as the name suggests, are made of resin (a thick liquid, either natural or synthetic, that hardens into a transparent or opaque solid). They are probably the cheapest option for a crown and are more prone to wearing down and “fractures” and need to be replaced relatively often.

Lastly, there are all-ceramic and all-porcelain crowns. These provide the best possible colour match to the other teeth and are suitable for people who have any sort of allergies to metal. They may not as strong as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns, but are a very good option for front teeth.

Varying from person-to-person, a dental crown can last anywhere from five years to fifteen years, depending on the wear and tear and oral hygiene habits. Crowns, once fit, do not require any special care, but definitely do get worn out more if you are in the habit of clenching your teeth, eating whole ice cubes, tearing packing with your teeth (being a hero and attempting to open bottles) and so on.

Pearls of Wisdom

Crowns are a solution to a problem, they are not prevention. They do not protect you from gum disease or tooth decay. If you make sure to brush properly around the crown to ensure that no food is stuck between the crown and gum, your crown will be happy in its palace seat.

About the Author  

Dr. Runuk Bhandari
SRV Dental Wellness Clinic
Goregaon West