Dental crowns are ideal restorative appliances that will protect your teeth that have decayed, cracked, chipped, or have incurred other forms of damage. They extend both aesthetic and oral health benefits, strengthening the structure of a tooth while restoring your smile's appearance. However, your crown can wear down over time and may need repairs or replacement.
How Can Dental Crowns Help?
A crown can help preserve a tooth weakened due to breakage or cavities. They can hold together the pieces of a cracked tooth and may be used to protect an already broken tooth that may have been severely worn down due to bruxism or grinding. Crowns can cover and support teeth with large fillings when little tooth structure is left. After root canal treatments, they can safeguard a tooth to prevent the remaining tooth from fracturing or cracking.
Dental crowns can be employed to make cosmetic alterations, hold dental bridges in position, and correct misaligned teeth, cover dental implants or malformed or severely stained teeth. Metal crowns are usually used for children’s primary teeth to shield teeth severely damaged by decay or protect teeth prone to cavities.
People with cracked tooth syndrome may benefit from dental crowns. Cracked tooth syndrome is when a patient has a fracture inside a tooth that causes pain when chewing on your food. Chewing causes stress on fracture lines, making it feel like the tooth is breaking apart. A crown works by holding the tooth together and redistributing the pressure evenly throughout the tooth, eliminating the pain.
What Causes Crown Damage?
Crown damage can occur due to various reasons. One of the most common causes is biting down on a hard morsel of food. This can lead to cracks or chips, just like it can do to natural teeth. A crown can also suffer damage from facial trauma or nighttime clenching and grinding. When damage occurs, you must visit our office as soon as possible. If left untreated, your tooth may become further damaged, decayed, or infected.
How Is a Crown Repaired?
Our dentists will determine the best way to repair your crown or if a replacement is necessary based on the kind of damage. In many cases, minor cracks or chips can be rectified with a matching composite resin to provide a flawless repair. In some instances, we may be able to smooth or reshape your existing appliance. However, if the crown is severely impaired, the best alternative is to replace it.
To learn more about our dental crown restorations, visit our office, Robert A Saunders DDS PC & Brittany C Krog DDS at 2834 S University Dr, Fargo, ND 58103. You can also reach us at (701)2939886.
