What Are Dental Crowns?
A dental crown, also known as a tooth crown, is a cap that fits firmly over your existing tooth.
Closely resembling a natural tooth, it can be used for cosmetic reasons or to provide strength and support to the teeth underneath that may be broken or have suffered decay.
Dental crowns are a tried-and-tested way of restoring the beauty of your smile, providing a natural-looking solution to broken or otherwise imperfect teeth.
Contact Our Dentists in Perth or Book an Appointment Online For a Beautiful Smile With Our Dental Crowns.
What Are the Different Types of Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are made from a variety of materials.
There are three basic categories of dental crowns – full porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, and metal (usually gold).
At Cambridge City Dental, we always use the highest quality materials for our Perth patients.
Who Could Benefit From a Dental Crown?
Your dentist will be able to advise you if a dental crown is needed. Crowns are used as treatments for a variety of dental issues including:
Severely discoloured teeth
Chipped or broken teeth
To protect a weak tooth from tooth decay
To reinforce a tooth that might have been worn down
To enhance the look of your teeth
Post root canal treatment to help prevent further damage to the compromised tooth
As a crown is designed to fit over your existing natural teeth, a dental crown is not a suitable option to replace missing teeth.
The Different Types of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are made from a variety of materials so you would have likely heard of various different types of dental crowns.
There are three basic types of dental crowns – full porcelain or zirconium crowns, porcelain crowns that are fused to metal, and metal (usually gold).
At Cambridge City Dental, we always use the highest quality materials for our Perth patients.
Full Porcelain
Full porcelain crowns have a very natural appearance and are perfect for front teeth. The colour mimics the shades of your natural teeth where it is very difficult to distinguish between the natural tooth and the crown itself.
Full porcelain crowns satisfy the needs of patients with metal sensitivities. Full porcelain crowns may be made utilising CEREC® technology or may be fabricated from zirconia fused with a layering of porcelain colours.
Porcelain Fused to Metal
Porcelain fused to metal crowns provide the best of both worlds – the natural look of porcelain with the strength of metal.
These types of crowns have a metal substructure. An opaque layer is fused to the metal framework prior to application. As such, it is difficult to re-create the translucency of natural teeth.
In most instances, however, porcelain fused to metal crowns can be highly aesthetic and are stronger than the full porcelain crowns.
Metal (Gold) Crowns
Metal crowns are usually used in areas of the mouth that are not so visible, such as out of sight molars.
The most common type of metal crowns are gold. The benefits of using metal crowns is that they have an excellent adaptation to the tooth, are long-lasting and do not chip.
Gold or metal crowns are also used in cases where occlusal (bite) problems exist as they can withstand far greater forces and are softer to bite on.
How Does a Dental Crown Procedure Work?
Step 1: Dental Crown Preparation
Traditional crown restorations take several appointments, but with advances in dental technology such as CEREC® CAD/CAM dental equipment, a dental crown restoration can now be completed in a single appointment. When you go ahead with a crown preparation, your dentist may take an x-ray to look at the root of your tooth and surrounding bone. The site is cleaned and a layer is removed from your existing tooth in preparation for the new dental crown.
Step 2: Dental Crown Impressions
The second step involves creating an optical impression using an advanced oral scanner. Moulding compounds are not necessary because the 3D scan replaces the physical impression required in traditional procedures. The scan is then sent to a milling machine which carves your new crown from a small block of ceramic. Your tooth crown will be meticulously created, matching shape and colour to ensure a natural look. We will give you a temporary tooth crown to fit over your prepped tooth until your next appointment.
Step 3: Dental Crown Fitting
At your fitting appointment, your custom-made tooth crown will be cemented firmly in place, providing you with a restored and natural-looking smile. Your new dental crown is then attached to the tooth similar to how LEGO® bricks click together. The result is an imperceptible dental crown that blends with your natural teeth in a treatment time of only one or two hours.
Dental Crown Cost
There is a lot of expensive equipment and technology involved in creating a new crown. As a result, dental crown procedures are not the cheapest of dental procedures. At Cambridge City Dental we accept all major private health funds. Therefore, you may be eligible for rebates depending on your policy.
Caring For Your Dental Crown
Your dentist will give you a full rundown on aftercare for your newly crowned tooth. In most instances, for a permanent crown, you’ll need to avoid chewing or biting sticky or hard foods on your new dental crown for a few days after the procedure. After that, you’ll be able to start treating your dental crown like a natural tooth! If you had a temporary crown fitted, extra care will be required as it is not designed to last as long as a permanent crown.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Difference Between a Permanent Crown and a Temporary Dental Crown?
You may have come across the term temporary crown. The main difference between permanent crowns and temporary crowns is in the name. Temporary crowns are typically made of either metal or plastic and are only designed to last a few weeks at most. A permanent crown on the other hand is made from much stronger materials such as gold, ceramic, and porcelain. Permanent crowns can often get up to 15 years of use before needing replacement!
How Long Should Dental Crowns Last?
The durability of dental crowns depends on what materials the crown is made from, the patient’s dental hygiene habits, and more. Typically we see patients with crowns for up to 20 years before requiring replacement.
What Are The Benefits of Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are a way of saving and protecting a tooth that is broken or decayed, avoiding the hassle of removing it completely. They provide a very natural-looking solution to enhancing your smile, covering up imperfections. Providing that you maintain good oral hygiene, dental crowns can last for many years.
When Would You Need a Dental Crown?
Dental crowns are perfect as a solution to a broken tooth or a tooth that has decayed so much that it won’t hold a tooth filling. A dental crown can cover up teeth with stains or other imperfections such as chips or protect a weak tooth from breaking or further damage. They are also used in other dental procedures such as dental implants.
Want to Know More About Our Perth Dental Crowns Service?
Would you like to know more about how our highly-experienced Perth dentists can help restore your smile and confidence?
The team at Cambridge City Dental are highly experienced in general dentistry, restorative dentistry and cosmetic dentistry. With over 30 years of experience, our mission is to help transform your smile through natural-looking dentistry solutions.
To get the smile you always wanted, get in touch with our team or book an appointment online today!
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.