Description
In this video, Dr. Ann Sielicki explains the basics of dental crowns. At Sonoran Dental Design in Scottsdale, AZ, we utilize different types of crowns for different situations. Precisely crafted crowns from our practice can protect your teeth and your oral health.
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So a dental crown can also be called a cap. There's different types of materials that different dentists will use, depending on their preference or where in the mouth the crown needs to be placed. So there are gold crowns that could be placed on back teeth if somebody has a really heavy bite. There are all zirconia crowns that can also be placed on back teeth that are all-porcelain looking, but they're very strong as far as if somebody has a really heavy bite. And then there's a different variety of all-porcelain crowns that we would use more in the front or for a more aesthetic look. They all have different translucency. They all have different strengths. So it just kind of depends on the patients, how their bite or their occlusion is and what the goals are.
Typically, a crown is placed on a tooth where maybe somebody has already had a really large restoration and they have a new cavity around it or they have a huge fracture. And that tooth has gotten to the point where there's no more filling that can be placed. Or if the filling was placed, it would still not be serving the tooth long term where it could still fracture, and then if it fractures under the gum, then maybe a crown isn't even warranted. But typically it's a piece of porcelain. It's going to help bond that tooth and prevent further wear and tear and fracturing.
Crowns need to be brushed and flossed and taken care of just like your natural teeth. Things can wear and tear. It really honestly depends on the home care of the patient as far as how long it's going to last.