At Sonoran Hills dental practice, our team is equipped to help you with the best tooth restoration services available in the area. Like our porcelain veneer treatment, we provide porcelain crowns and bridges that replace a damaged tooth with a natural and resilient tooth – helping you regain functionality and beauty to your smile. Whether your tooth needs to be replaced out of necessity or due to cosmetic reasons, Dr. Ito and his team are here to provide a solution that best meets your specific needs.
What is a Porcelain Crown?
A porcelain crown is a natural-looking approach to replacing a damaged tooth – allowing you to regain original functionality. A crown can be thought of as a cap or “helmet”. This cap is placed over the existing tooth that needs support or replacement. Patients typically require a crown after experiencing the following situations:
- Significant tooth decay that has destroyed most of the original tooth
- Traumatic events that cause major damage
- Severe enamel erosion
- Significant grinding and clenching of teeth that affect the original structure of the teeth
- A desire to “hide” a tooth with some aesthetic flaw
What is the Process of Getting a Porcelain Crown?
Getting the porcelain crown will typically take a couple of visits: one to examine the tooth and prepare it for the procedure and the second to actually place the permanent crown. The following are some basic elements of the procedure that you will experience with Dr. Ito and team:
- Dr. Ito will thoroughly examine your tooth to determine the best course of action. This may involve x-rays to look at the health of the roots and surrounding bone.
- Using local anesthesia, Dr. Ito will numb the tooth and surrounding gum tissue in order to file the tooth down along the chewing surface as well as on either side to make room for the crown. If a large part of the tooth is missing due to decay or damage, Dr. Ito will use filling material to the size needed to support the crown.
- Once finished with the reshaping, an impression of the tooth will be made to ensure a perfect fit for your crown.
- This will then be sent to the lab where a porcelain version of the impression will be created. This process typically takes two to three weeks. In the meantime, Dr. Ito will fit a temporary crown over your tooth. This will protect your tooth until your permanent crown is placed.
- Once we’ve received your custom porcelain restoration, you will come back in and we will remove the temporary one, evaluate the porcelain crown for fit and color and permanently cement it in place.
Taking Care of Your Temporary Crown
One part of the procedure that we like to make sure patients understand is that of caring for their temporary crown while waiting for their permanent porcelain crown. Here are some tips to remember:
- Avoid foods that are sticky or chewy, as these can pull at the temporary crown.
- Try to chew on the opposite side of where your temporary crown is.
- Avoid eating hard or crunchy foods (like raw vegetables) that could potentially dislodge the crown.
- When flossing, avoid lifting out – instead, slide the floss out the side of the tooth.
Improve Your Comfort and Smile Today
Sonoran Hills Dental is the home of your dentist who delivers effective cosmetic dental services that will help you restore your smile and confidence. Visit our other service pages to learn more about some of the other restorative procedures we provide. In some cases, crowns made not be necessary and instead a filling will do; in that case, we offer natural tooth colored fillings that will help you maintain your healthy, beautiful smile. In other cases, a damaged tooth may not be salvageable, creating a need for permanent tooth replacement, such as dental implants. Contact our team today and we’ll get you in to discuss which treatment is going to be best for your individual needs.
Learn more about our team and Dr. Ito – we are excited to work with you to achieve your oral health needs.