There aren’t many simple solutions in life, but when it comes to addressing tooth damage, the choice is pretty straightforward.
A damaged tooth (even if it’s minor) invites bacteria, infection, and progressive decay. Fortunately, our expert dentists at Rifkin Dental in Carmel and Yorktown Heights, New York, offer many tooth restoration services, including dental crowns.
Here, we look closer at how crowns work and what can happen if you take the wait-and-see approach with tooth damage.
Dental crowns are custom-made covers or caps that fit over your natural tooth. They preserve a tooth damaged by decay, injury, or other dental issues, making them one of our most powerful tooth restoration services. Dental crowns:
Dental crowns also count as a cosmetic dentistry service and can cover and correct minor imperfections such as stains, uneven tooth shapes, and chips.
Depending on your needs and which tooth we’re treating, your crown can be made of stainless steel, gold, or another alloy, porcelain fused to metal, resin, or ceramic.
Getting a crown is fairly simple. During your first appointment, we take X-rays of your teeth to assess the extent of the damage. Next, we prepare your tooth by either filing it down or building it up.
Finally, we take an impression of your teeth and send it to a lab where specialists make your custom crown. We fit you with a temporary crown and, a couple of weeks later, you return to our office to receive your permanent crown.
Forgoing a crown and leaving your tooth cracked, damaged, and decaying opens the door to a slew of oral health issues.
Our primary concern is the progression of tooth decay. A cavity or minor damage can turn into a serious infection without proper treatment. This may lead to tooth loss or require an invasive procedure like a root canals and tooth extraction.
You might also suffer from significant pain and discomfort without prompt dental treatment. That pain may affect how you chew and talk and have a lasting impact on your oral and overall health.
Your tooth may also become so weak that it fractures or breaks, resulting in complete tooth loss. Stained, chipped, and broken teeth are also a major cosmetic concern.
That question is best answered in our office after a comprehensive oral health exam, but here’s a list of the most common reasons we’d recommend a dental crown:
Dental crowns are also key in other procedures. They’re usually the last step of a root canal, cover dental implants, and hold dental bridges in place.
Is your oral health teetering on the edge? Don’t wait another day to see one of our dentists. If dental crowns aren’t right for you, one of our services will be. Schedule an appointment online or over the phone today at our Rifkin Dental location closest to you.
