Dental Crown Procedure 101

If you have a weak tooth that needs to be repaired or needs a dental bridge, your dentist may suggest you receive a dental crown. While they will explain the process to you before it happens, here’s the 101 about what goes on throughout a dental crown procedure.

Your doctor can suggest one of the several types of dental crowns, including ceramic, porcelain, and alloy. While most cosmetic dental crowns are porcelain or ceramic, you can read more about the available types of crowns here. Your actual procedure will take place in two separate appointments about fourteen days apart.

Your First Appointment
Your dentist will examine the tooth to make sure it can handle a crown. If the tooth is solid enough to support the crown, your dentist will file the tooth down to prepare it. They do this to make room for the crown and allow for an even and solid fit. If your tooth is too damaged or weak to support a crown, your dentist will fill it in order to make it big enough to receive one.

Once your tooth is filed or filled to the correct shape, your dental practitioner will take a mold of the tooth and those surrounding it to send off to a lab where the permanent crown will be made. Your dentist will place a temporary crown on your tooth to protect it until your permanent crown is ready.

Your Second Appointment
Your dentist will remove your temporary crown and replace it with the permanent one using a special adhesive. Once your procedure is finished, you may need some time to get used to the dental crown. Don’t worry, though- after a bit a time, your crown should look, feel, and function just like a normal tooth.

If you have a damaged tooth and think you may be in need of a dental crown, see your dentist to save your tooth. If you’re in the Batavia, IL area, see Dr. Ronald Murphy. Ronald Murphy Dentistry provides informative consultations from an attentive staff and offers flexible payment options. Call our office today at 630-879-7642.