Dental crowns are a great way to restore your damaged teeth back to full health and function. They also work well to cover stubborn stains, chips, cracks, fractures and decay. You may feel reluctant to show your teeth due to the damage present. This can put a damper on your social life and the way you present yourself. One of the best options for not only restoring health to your mouth, but appearance, is dental crowns available from Dr. Thomas Pray at Pray Dental in Ballston Spa in Saratoga Springs.
Dental crowns can be used for both restorative and cosmetic reasons. Your teeth will be functional again and look completely natural. Crowns at Pray Dental are made out of porcelain, which looks like a completely natural tooth. It will be colored to look the exact shade of your surrounding teeth. If you are planning on whitening your teeth, it’s important to match your dental crown to your desired color because you cannot whiten the crown once it’s placed. Dr. Pray uses CEREC technology to create dental crowns in his office.
Same Day Crowns with CEREC
In the past, a dental crown meant that a patient had to go into the dentist office for two separate visits. The first visit consisted of preparing the tooth for the crown by taking impressions of the tooth to be sent to the lab. The impressions would be sent to the lab and the patient would be stuck with a temporary crown for the next week or two. When the crown finally arrived from the lab, the patient would come in for their second visit and finally have the crown placed.
With CEREC (Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic) technology, the dental crown is made and placed on the same day. This means that the patient is only required one visit to the dentist. With the CEREC machine, you won’t need to have impressions taken of your mouth. Instead, pictures of your mouth will be taken using imaging technology. Dr. Pray will choose the correct colored porcelain to match your teeth and the machine creates the crown. After the crown is made, Dr. Pray will use a special cement to bond it to your tooth. You will then have a corrected bite and experience a noticeable reduction in pain. Your new crown will match the rest of your smile and it won’t be noticeable that you have one, that is one of the best benefits.
Caring for Your Crowns
One of the great perks of dental crowns is that they will never decay or require any extra care. Care for your crowns like you would your natural teeth. They still need to be brushed and flossed around, otherwise periodontal disease can occur and cause your crowns to fail. You will still need to visit the dentist twice a year for cleanings as well. With that said, the only way your crowns can be damaged, other than oral hygiene neglect, is from physical trauma such as teeth grinding, biting down too hard, or taking a hit to the mouth.
Am I a Candidate for Dental Crown
Dental damage like broken teeth, severe decay requiring root canal treatment, or large cracks or fractures can generally only be treated with dental crowns or implants. So, if you have any of these things going on in your mouth, then you are definitely a candidate for dental crowns. Crowns will give back your ability to chew and bite the way you should, and they will also improve your appearance.
How Dental Crowns Work
Dental crowns are custom restorations that correct many issues. If you have any of the following conditions, you are a candidate for dental crowns:
Advanced Decay
If your teeth are significantly decayed, a crown can save them. As long as you still have at least one third of your tooth remaining, you are a candidate for dental crowns.
Missing Teeth
Crowns are used in conjunction with dental implants to replace missing teeth.
Broken Teeth
Dental crowns protect broken, cracked or fractured teeth from additional harm.
Large Fillings
If you have very deep fillings, the walls of your teeth can become weak, and predispose them to breaking. A crown will protect the underlying structure of the tooth.
Root Canal
If you have had a root canal treatment, a crown will give back strength and function to the affected tooth.
Cosmetic Issues
You may also be a candidate for dental crowns if you have cosmetic issues that cannot be corrected with other treatments like porcelain veneers or dental bonding.
Receiving a Crown
To have a crown placed, first your dentist will clean and prepare the surface of your tooth. Using CEREC technology, he will take images of your tooth, and then deliver a piece of porcelain that is a match for the rest of your teeth to the milling machine, which makes your crown. Finally, the dentist puts the crown in place, and you are good to go in just one visit.
If you are in the need for restoration of your teeth, you have a range of options available today thanks to advances in dentistry. One of the options you might want to consider is dental crowns, which can provide you with an ample amount of protection. The dental crowns are a good option for many who have issues with their teeth, but it is always a good idea to have a full understanding of just what the crowns offer. Check out these dental crowns FAQs to learn more about them and what they will mean.
What Is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a dental device placed on a tooth to cover and protect areas that are damaged in some way, or that are not pleasing from an aesthetic viewpoint. The dental crowns today are made from either porcelain, gold, or a mix of porcelain and metal.
What Can a Dental Crown Fix?
It is possible to use dental crowns to help fix a range of different problems. With this type of restorative dentistry, you can fix teeth that have suffered severe decay, teeth that have chips or cracks in them, discolored teeth, misshapen teeth, and more.
How Are They Applied?
Another one of the dental crowns FAQs is about the method used to apply the crown and how many visits it will take. Fortunately, it is a simple process that can generally be completed in just two visits. On the first visit, the dentist will prepare the teeth and create a mold, which is sent to the lab. They will create the crown, and on the second visit, the patient will have it placed and bonded to the tooth.
Contact Our Dental Crowns Dentist in Ballston Spa
Contact Us
If your teeth are damaged, decayed, cracked or have stubborn stains, consider CEREC dental crowns from Dr. Thomas Pray, DDS. Contact our office in Ballston Spa in the Saratoga Springs area by calling 518-885-8321 or filling out our online contact form to be contacted. If you have any questions, refer to our FAQs page or contact our dentist.