Dental Crowns – South Windsor, CT
Revitalize the Beauty and Function of Your Smile
Do you have one tooth that is cracked, chipped, or worn-down? Has it been making you feel self-conscious about smiling in public? If so, then Dr. Sara Curcio has a solution. With dental crowns in South Windsor, she can bring back strength and beauty to a tooth that has been subjected to severe decay or damage. Here at South Windsor Dental, we use only the highest-quality materials to create a natural-looking and long-lasting solution. Continue reading to learn how dental crowns may benefit you.
What Are Dental Crowns?
A dental crown is a custom-made “cap” that fits snugly over a tooth. In most cases, it serves a restorative purpose, such as holding together a broken tooth or protecting a vulnerable tooth from further damage. However, a crown can also be placed atop an aesthetically imperfect tooth to give it a more attractive appearance.
In the past, dental crowns sometimes looked unnatural, as they were often made with metals like silver or gold that stood out in your smile. Nowadays, though, we use all-ceramic materials to give your crown a seamless appearance. Dr. Curcio will capture impressions of your surrounding teeth so that your crown mimics the rest of your pearly whites in size, shape, and color. Once it has been placed, no one should be able to differentiate it from your uncrowned teeth.
Benefits of Dental Crowns
Restoring your tooth with a dental crown comes with several benefits, such as:
- Each crown is personalized to blend in with your smile.
- Dental ceramic is strong enough to withstand daily chewing forces.
- If you take good care of your crown, it can last for a decade or longer.
- The inner portion of your tooth will be protected from painful sensitivity.
- A crown shields your tooth from additional damage or decay, preventing the need for more invasive (and expensive) treatment in the future.
The Dental Crown Process
Designing and placing a dental crown usually takes just two short appointments. During the first of these visits, Dr. Curcio will reshape your tooth so that it can properly support a crown. Then, our team will take impressions and send the data to a high-tech dental lab. While they get busy crafting your crown to our exact specifications, we can protect your tooth with a temporary crown.
You’ll return a few weeks later once the final crown has arrived at our office. We’ll remove the temporary and make any last-minute adjustments to your crown before securely bonding it to your tooth.
If you’re suffering from a broken tooth in South Windsor, don’t let it inconvenience you any longer. Contact us today to schedule your consultation. From there, we can determine whether a dental crown is just the thing you need to revitalize the beauty and function of your smile!
Dental Crowns FAQs
What Happens If You Wait Too Long to Get a Dental Crown?
Ultimately, your dentist will only suggest a dental crown if you really need one. Delaying the procedure, therefore, would only cause you long-term problems.
You see, leaving an exposed tooth crownless will damage it further. That’s only natural – its inner layers will be subjected to chewing forces, food debris, and harmful oral bacteria. From there, the pearly white could suffer a severe infection. You’d likely need a root canal or tooth extraction in that case.
To avoid these complications, get a crown soon after a dentist suggests it. You’ll heal your tooth and save money otherwise spent on expensive procedures.
What Can I Eat with a Temporary Crown?
Generally, a temporary crown should let you chew comfortably. Even so, it’s still best to avoid certain items until your permanent one is placed.
For example, try to limit sugary foods and drinks. These things could get beneath a temporary crown due to a gap between it and your gumline. You’d then suffer from tooth decay as a result.
Similarly, you should avoid hard or sticky products for a while. When chewed, they might damage, loosen, or dislodge the short-term crown. In particular, lay off hard bread, steak, corn on the cob, nuts, and chewing gum.
How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?
Typically, the average crown lasts somewhere between five to 15 years. That said, the lifespan of your own crown(s) will depend on various factors.
One such element is your lifestyle. A crown, you see, is likely to last long if you do the following:
- Practice Good Oral Hygiene – A crowned tooth can still decay, which would lead to its crown’s removal. So, remember to brush twice daily, floss once daily, and rinse with mouthwash often.
- Eat a Mouth-Healthy Diet – A crown will stay intact longer if hard foods don’t chip it. Likewise, it’ll last a while when you limit sugary foods that could decay its tooth.
- Avoid Bad Oral Habits – Grinding teeth or biting nails may chip a crown. So, try to avoid or quit such habits if possible.
Do Dental Crowns Get Cavities?
Technically, a crown itself can’t develop cavities; it’s made of artificial materials. However, the tooth underneath one still can.
As a matter of fact, a crowned tooth has the same decay risk as an uncrowned one. Poor oral hygiene would let bacteria and plaque form around the gumline where the chomper meets its crown. From there, such things can get beneath the prosthetic and cause tooth problems.
Fortunately, it’s possible to prevent cavities in crowned teeth. Simply do what you already should – brush and floss your smile daily, see your dentist often, and refrain from bad dental habits.