Dental Crowns

Teeth can be discolored, cracked or weakened by decay over time. There are different ways to address these problems and one of the most common solutions is to get a root canal done and thereby restore the tooth with a crown.

A crown appointment may sound disconcerting for some, but it is in fact a very common procedure our dentists at Vasupujya Dental Hospital do on a daily basis.

Here are answers to the 7 most common questions patients ask us about crowns.

What is a crown? Does it make the tooth stronger?

• Well a crown is an artificial replacement that restores missing tooth structure by surrounding the remaining tooth structure, or is placed on a dental implant. The tooth-crown unit restores the aesthetic and function like any natural tooth. Dental crowns are permanently cemented existing teeth or implants and can only be removed by a dentist.

When does a tooth need a crown?

• Following a Root Canal Therapy (RCT), it is highly recommended to protect the teeth, especially the molars and premolars, with a crown. Crowns will protect the teeth that have become highly susceptible to breaking, fracturing or splitting through the roots.
• Crowns can be used to close spaces between teeth, fix chipped, worn, discolored and poorly shaped teeth.
• When there is excessive loss of tooth structure (like large decays and fractures) that involves multiple surfaces, the crown could be the restoration of choice.
• In some cases, the placement of a crown on a cracked tooth provides maximum protection and prevent tooth loss.
• For teeth that are restored with very large filling and in cases where the amount of the remaining tooth structure is small, it is recommended to place crowns to prevent fractures and/or cracks.
• In case of severe loss of enamel, crowns are successfully used to restore the functions and esthetics of the patients.
• Crowns are used to attach a bridge. A dental bridge is composed a pontic (false tooth) and two anchoring dental crowns or abutments.
• A crown covers a dental implant; an ‘implant crown’ is placed to replace the missing tooth.

• All-ceramic: Due to the true revolution in the dental industry, the "metal-free" crowns are suitable for most cases. They combine excellent biocompatibility, high strength and high esthetics to ensure long-term success. Also called as Zirconia Crowns or tooth-colored crowns
• Porcelain-fused-to-metal: The crown is made from both metal (precious or non-precious) and porcelain. PFM crowns are still very commonly used for the back teeth but do not meet today’s esthetic standards for the front teeth.
• Metal Crowns: They are made up of metal and are silver in appearance. They are used in back region teeth.

How many days to a crown?

• The specialist dentist at Vasupujya Dental Hospital first takes an impression of the tooth and then the dentist prepares the tooth according to the choice of tooth preparation required
• Impressions are taken of the jaws with the high end impression materials and casts are made out of these impressions in our in house laboratory.
• These impression casts are directly sent with fully detailed forms and photographs of the patients to our laboratory.
• Our laboratory specialists make your crowns and bridges in 1-2 working days keeping in mind all factors: your jaws, the way you bite your food, the color and contour of the tooth required to be created, texture of the tooth required and of course the comfort of the patient.