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Over
time, your teeth often pay a high price for
the stresses and strains of life. Restoring
chipped, stained or missing teeth with
today's advances in technology can simply,
effectively and comfortably be done. Crowns,
also known as caps, restore damaged teeth
and may be made of white porcelain,
porcelain fused to metal, or gold. A crown
covers a tooth above the gum line and mimics
the shape, size and color of the surrounding
teeth. Crowns cover, protect, seal and
strengthen a tooth. A crown is needed when a
filling just will not work. There are
many situations when it may be necessary to
place a crown.
Large Decay - In the event a tooth
has developed decay so deep and large that a
filling will not stay, or if the tooth
structure is weakened, a crown must be
Large
Old fillings - In other situations, when
large old fillings break down or decay
develops around the filling, the tooth
usually needs to be crowned. A tooth that
has been structurally weakened must have a
cap placed without delay. Once a tooth
develops a crack or breaks through the old
filling, it may not be possible to save it.
Cracked
Tooth - When a tooth is cracked, a
filling will not seal this break. A crown
has to be placed over the tooth to hold it
and the crack together. A crown must be
placed on such a tooth in time; otherwise
the tooth will become sensitive to chewing
pressure, or will eventually break. It is
important to crown a cracked tooth before it
breaks, because in some cases a broken tooth
cannot be crowned and must only be
extracted.
Broken/Fractured
Tooth - A tooth that has broken is
usually too weak to hold a filling. A crown
will hold the tooth together and prevent it
from breaking again. In
some cases, a broken tooth cannot be saved
and must be
extracted, as happened in the
photo on the right. If the fracture involves
the nerve, a root canal may be required
before the tooth is crowned.
Crown Procedure
The first step in the dental crown procedure
is to remove the damaged parts of the tooth.
Then the impression of your mouth is taken
and we will also shade match your teeth. A
temporary dental
crown
will be affixed to your tooth until your
permanent crown has been created. When your
permanent crown is ready, the second part of
the dental crown procedure requires a return
visit to the office. Your permanent crown
will be fitted and your damaged tooth will
be restored to appear and function like a
healthy, natural tooth! Though the dental
crown procedure usually takes two visits, it
is a procedure that requires a relatively
short amount of time in the dental chair.
Dental crowns provide a natural-looking
tooth restoration option that can preserve
your tooth for years to come.
Root Canals

If your tooth's nerve chamber becomes
infected by decay, or damaged by trauma,
root canal treatment is often the only way
to save your tooth.
Inside the hard outer shell of each tooth is
a specialized area called the pulp or nerve
chamber. The pulp chamber contains a system
of blood vessels, lymph vessels and nerves
(the pulp), which enters from the bone
through the root canals. This system
provides nourishment for the cells within

Deep
tooth decay or other injury can cause damage
to or infection of the tooth pulp. In a root
canal or endodontic treatment, the dentist
removes the damaged or infected pulp and
replaces it with special filler which helps
maintain the remaining tooth structure. Some
indications of the need for root canal
treatment may be:
- Spontaneous pain or throbbing while biting
- Sensitivity to hot and cold foods
- Severe decay or an injury that creates an
abscess (infection) in the bone |
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