Dental crowns are a dental restoration treatment that caps the top of a damaged tooth with porcelain or another sturdy material to add structure and strength to the tooth. This treatment is one of the more common restorative treatments used to repair tooth damage.
There are many different reasons a patient may need to seek out restorative treatment. They may have had an injury that damaged the tooth. If it was chipped deeply or was cracked, a crown can be used to add strength. If tooth decay was allowed to get out of hand and wore away too much of the enamel, a crown can be used to replace what was lost.
To place a crown, Drs. Hobart, Yu, and Ulbrich will remove most of the enamel, forming a post called an abutment from the tooth. A suitable crown will be made from porcelain, metal, or a combination, and then securely glued onto the abutment. Metal is often used in making crowns to replace molars, as it is stronger and can hold up to the greater chewing forces required of the rear teeth.
The crown will not be susceptible to tooth decay, but that doesn’t mean you can neglect it. Plaque and tartar buildup can loosen the crown, undoing a lot of what your dentists did for you. Be sure to brush and floss around the tooth carefully and regularly.
To learn more about how dental crowns can help you, contact First Dental of Bluffton in Bluffton, South Carolina. We look forward to helping you restore your smile!