If you want a smile that’s your crowning glory, our Springfield GA dentist provides a dental crown to cover a tooth to help restore it to its normal shape and size. A crown can make your tooth stronger and improve its appearance. A crown strengthens a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t enough tooth remaining to hold the filling. Crowns are also used to attach bridges, protect a weak tooth from breaking or restore one that’s already broken.

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Crowns can be made from different materials such as stainless steel, all-metal (such as gold or another alloy), porcelain-fused-to-metal, all resin, or all ceramic. Stainless steel crowns protects the tooth or filling while a permanent crown is made from another material. With children, a stainless steel crown is commonly used to fit over a primary tooth that’s been prepared to fit it, protecting it from further decay. When the primary tooth comes out and the permanent tooth begins to grow in, the crown will come out on its own. Stainless steel crowns are commonly used for children’s teeth because they don’t require many dental visits. They are also more cost-effective than custom-made crowns and prophylactic dental care needed to protect a tooth without a crown.

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Metals used in crowns include alloys that contain a high content of gold, platinum, or base-metal alloys (for example, cobalt-chromium and nickel-chromium alloys). Metal crowns are able to handle regular and intense biting and chewing. Metal crowns last the longest in terms of wear down and rarely ever chip or break. Metal crowns are best suited for out of sight molars.  Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns look just like normal teeth. They can be color-matched to the natural color of your teeth. Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns are, however, more susceptible to wear in comparison to metal or resin crowns. The porcelain portion can also chip or break off, and sometimes the metal underlying the crown’s porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line and even more so if your gums recede.

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All resin dental crowns are the least expensive type of crown. They wear down over time and are more prone to fractures than porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. All-ceramic or all-porcelain dental crowns have the most natural tooth color than any other crown type and may be more suitable for people with metal allergies. All-ceramic crowns can also be used for both front and back teeth.

 

All crowns have their advantages and disadvantages, but Dr. Barkey will help you determine which type of crown is best for you. There are different factors to consider when choosing the right crown for you, this can include how your teeth meet and whether you grind your teeth. In general, crowns usually last for at least seven years. In many cases, crowns can last for up to 40 years. Maintaining good oral hygiene is important and is key to help your crowns last longer. This includes proper brushing and flossing your teeth and seeing our Pooler and Springfield GA dentist regularly.