If your dentist has suggested getting a dental crown, you may be curious about what it entails, why it’s needed, and what to expect during the procedure. Whether you’ve experienced a chipped tooth, undergone a root canal treatment, or are dealing with a large cavity, dental crowns are a reliable solution to restore both the strength and appearance of your smile. This guide walks you through every step of the dental crown procedure and helps you understand your options. Let’s dive into everything you need to know about dental crowns.
What Exactly Is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap that covers a damaged, decayed, or weakened tooth. Think of it as a snug protective shell that restores your tooth’s shape, strength, and function while blending beautifully with your natural tooth colour. Dental crowns are used in restorative dentistry to protect and restore damaged teeth or to cover discoloured teeth.
Let’s Talk About the Different Types of Dental Crowns
Choosing the right crown depends on the location of the tooth, your bite, aesthetic preferences, and your budget. Here are the most common types:
1. Porcelain Crowns and Ceramic Crowns
Perfect for front teeth, ceramic and porcelain crowns offer a natural appearance that closely resembles your real teeth. All porcelain crowns are especially popular for patients looking for the best cosmetic match.
2. Metal Crowns and Fused-to-Metal Crowns (PFM)
Metal crowns, including fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns, are known for their outstanding durability, making them a great choice for back teeth that handle heavy chewing. PFM crowns feature a strong metal core covered with a layer of tooth-coloured porcelain, providing a blend of long-lasting strength and a more natural-looking finish.
3. Zirconia Crowns
Zirconia crowns are newer to the market but are known for being both strong and visually appealing. They’re also biocompatible, making them a great choice for people with metal allergies.
4. Stainless Steel Crowns
Often used in temporary crown placement, stainless steel crowns are common in children’s dentistry or as a short-term fix while waiting for a final dental crown.
Why Getting a Dental Crown Might Be the Best Decision for Your Smile
If you’ve been told you need a dental crown, it’s natural to feel unsure at first. In many situations, choosing to get a dental crown can be one of the most beneficial decisions for both your smile and your long-term oral health. Dental crowns are beyond just cosmetic fixes. They provide protection, function, and long-term stability to teeth that are otherwise at risk. Whether your tooth is cracked, decayed, worn down, or weakened after a root canal, a crown can restore its strength while blending seamlessly with your surrounding teeth.
Let’s break down why this treatment is often recommended:
1. Protects Weakened or Damaged Teeth
Teeth with extensive decay, large fillings, or fractures are more prone to breaking. A crown wraps around the tooth, protecting it from damage and preventing the need for extraction down the track.
2. Restores Function and Comfort
Chewing with a damaged or sensitive tooth can be frustrating and painful. Crowns restore the original shape and strength of the tooth crown, making it easier to bite, chew, and speak comfortably.
3. Saves Teeth After Root Canal Treatment
Following a root canal, the affected tooth may become more fragile over time. Placing a crown helps strengthen and safeguard the natural tooth, making it possible to preserve it rather than needing a dental implant or bridge as a replacement.
4. Offers a Natural-Looking Solution
Modern ceramic, porcelain, and zirconia crowns are designed to match your natural tooth colour. These materials mimic the translucency of real teeth, giving you a natural appearance that integrates beautifully with your adjacent teeth.
5. Helps Preserve Tooth Structure
A crown not only restores the tooth but also helps prevent the loss of additional tooth structure, especially when placed early. Taking this proactive step can minimise the risk of needing more complex or invasive dental treatments later on.
6. Enhances Aesthetics and Confidence
For teeth that are discoloured, misshapen, or otherwise cosmetically unappealing, a crown can dramatically enhance your smile. It’s a functional and aesthetic fix-all in one.
7. Completes Dental Implant Treatment
Crowns are the finishing touch on dental implants. Once your implant is placed, the crown is attached to complete the restoration, giving you a secure and natural-looking tooth replacement.
Whether your concern is a loose crown, a missing tooth, or a tooth with extensive decay, a crown may offer the ideal solution. When placed properly and cared for with regular dental visits and good hygiene, it can last for many years, protecting your smile every step of the way.
The Dental Crown Procedure: Step-by-Step
Now that you know why you might need a dental crown, here’s a closer look at how the dental crown placement process works.
Step 1: Consultation and Examination
Your dentist will begin by evaluating your dental health. They’ll examine the damaged teeth, take X-rays, and decide whether the tooth needs tooth preparation or further treatment, such as a root canal.
Step 2: Tooth Preparation
To make space for the crown, your dentist will carefully reshape the natural tooth. This prepared tooth is reduced in size to allow the crown to fit properly and restore natural alignment with adjacent teeth and opposing teeth.
In cases of extensive decay, the tooth may need rebuilding with a filling material before crown placement.
Step 3: Dental Impressions
Once the tooth is ready, impressions are taken using a putty or digital scanner. These are delivered to a dental laboratory, where your custom dental crown is made. The lab crafts your final crown to match your natural tooth colour, bite, and fit.
Step 4: Temporary Crown Placement (for Traditional Crowns)
If your crown is being made in a dental laboratory, your dentist will place a temporary crown to shield the prepared tooth and maintain proper spacing while your final crown is being fabricated. This crown is secured with temporary dental cement and serves to maintain comfort and spacing between adjacent teeth.
During this time, it’s important to avoid sticky or hard foods and brush gently with a soft bristled toothbrush to prevent dislodging the temporary crown.
Note: If your clinic offers same-day crowns, this step may not be necessary. With the help of CAD/CAM technology, your custom dental crown can be designed, milled, and fitted in a single visit, eliminating the need for a temporary crown altogether.
Step 5: Crown Placement Day
At your second appointment, if you’re receiving a traditional crown, your dentist will remove the temporary crown, clean the prepared tooth, and assess the fit, bite, and colour of your new crown. Once everything checks out, the final dental crown is secured with long-lasting dental cement.
If you’re receiving a same-day crown, this placement happens immediately after tooth preparation. Your custom dental crown is created on-site and fitted during the same appointment, streamlining the dental crown procedure into a convenient, single-day treatment.
Either way, you’ll leave the clinic with a fully restored, functional, and natural-looking crowned tooth, ready to smile, eat, and speak with confidence.
What About Sensitivity After Crown Placement?
After your crown is fitted, you might experience tooth sensitivity, especially to hot or cold. This is completely normal and usually subsides within a few days. Using fluoride toothpaste for sensitive teeth can help. If discomfort persists or the crown feels too high, contact your dentist to make adjustments.
How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?
One of the most common questions patients ask is, “How long will my dental crown last?” And the answer is: it depends. But here’s the good news: with the right care, dental crowns are designed to go the distance.
On average, a permanent dental crown can last anywhere from 10 to 15 years. In many cases, they hold strong even longer, sometimes up to 20 or 25 years. The key to longevity lies in a combination of expert dental work, the materials used, and how well you look after your oral health.
Here’s a closer look at what influences the lifespan of your newly crowned tooth:
1. Type of Dental Crown Material
Not all dental crown materials are created equal. Some are built for beauty, others for strength, and the best crowns strike a balance between both.
- Porcelain crowns and ceramic crowns offer a highly natural look, especially for front teeth, but may be slightly more prone to chipping over time.
- Zirconia crowns are known for exceptional durability and are often used in areas that face more bite pressure.
- Fused metal crowns (PFM) combine strength with aesthetics, but over time, the metal underneath may become visible near the gum line.
- Metal crowns, including gold or other alloys, are the longest-lasting of all. Though less aesthetic, they can endure decades of use with minimal wear.
2. Location in the Mouth
Back teeth take the brunt of the work when it comes to chewing and grinding. A tooth crown placed on a molar might wear down faster than one on a front tooth, especially if you grind your teeth or have bite misalignment.
3. Your Oral Hygiene Habits
Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, flossing daily, and using a soft-bristled toothbrush all play a major role in prolonging the life of your dental crown. These habits prevent plaque build-up, protect the gum tissue, and help ward off tooth decay under or around the crown.
4. Lifestyle and Diet
Crunching ice, chewing on pens, using your teeth to open packages, these habits can all shorten the life of your final crown. Likewise, a diet rich in sugar can increase the potential for decay in the surrounding teeth, potentially compromising the stability of the crown over time.
5. Regular Dental Visits
Routine check-ups allow your dentist to keep an eye on the condition of your crown, check for any signs of wear, detect a loose crown, and make sure your gum line and other teeth are in good shape. Identifying potential problems early can play a crucial role in preventing more serious dental complications later on.
Signs Your Crown Might Need Replacing
Even with great care, no crown lasts forever. Here’s when you might need a new crown:
- Your crown feels loose or wobbly.
- There’s visible wear or damage to the surface.
- The area around the crown feels tender or sensitive.
- You notice changes in how your teeth bite together.
- There’s visible darkening near the gum line or decay in adjacent teeth.
If you notice any of these signs, your dentist can assess whether it’s time for a replacement or a simple adjustment.
Caring for Your Newly Crowned Tooth
To keep your crowned tooth and surrounding teeth in great shape, follow these tips:
- Brush twice daily using a fluoride toothpaste
- Floss carefully around the crown
- Avoid chewing on hard things like ice or pens
- Visit your dental centre regularly for check-ups and cleaning
- Watch for signs of a loose crown or discomfort
These habits can help maintain optimal oral health and prolong the life of your crown.
What If I Have a Dental Implant?
If you’re replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant, your treatment journey doesn’t end with the implant itself. In fact, one of the most crucial steps in this process is placing the dental crown, which is what gives your smile its final look and feel.
Let’s break it down:
A dental implant is a small titanium post that is surgically inserted into the jawbone. Over time, the surrounding bone fuses with the implant through a natural process known as osseointegration. Once healed, the implant acts like an artificial tooth root. But on its own, it doesn’t look or function like a natural tooth. That’s where the crown comes in.
The Crown is the Finishing Touch
The custom dental crown that goes on top of your implant is what you’ll see when you smile and what you’ll use when you chew. This crown is designed to match your natural tooth colour, fit perfectly with your surrounding teeth, and restore both function and aesthetics.
Depending on your case, your dentist may recommend different dental crown materials for implant restorations.
How Crown Placement on Implants Works
Once your implant site has healed (usually a few months after surgery), your dentist will take dental impressions to craft your final crown. These are sent to a dental laboratory, where technicians create a crown tailored to your bite, colour, and anatomy.
The crown is then attached to the implant using a small connector called an abutment. This step is known as the dental crown placement phase of implant therapy.
Unlike crowns placed on natural teeth, implant crowns don’t rely on tooth structure. They sit securely on the implant post, offering excellent stability and function.
What to Expect Afterwards
Just like with any dental crown, you’ll need to care for your newly crowned tooth by brushing twice a day, flossing carefully, and attending regular dental visits. While the implant won’t decay, the gum line and surrounding teeth still require attention to avoid issues like gum disease.
Also, if you notice any signs of tooth sensitivity, a loose crown, or discomfort when biting, let your dental professional know as soon as possible.
Why Crowns on Implants Matter
A well-made crown on a dental implant:
- Restores chewing and speech function.
- Preserves your facial structure by preventing bone loss
- Keeps the alignment of opposing teeth
- Enhances your appearance with a natural-looking tooth crown
- Completes your journey back to a healthy, confident smile
If you’re in the final stages of getting a dental implant, know that the crown procedure is more than cosmetic. It’s the part that makes your implant look, feel, and function like a real tooth, bringing your smile full circle.
Common Concerns Around Dental Crowns
Here are a few things patients often ask:
Can a crown fall off?
Yes, although rare, a crown can loosen due to tooth decay under the crown or weakened cement. If this happens, call your dentist immediately.
Is the crown procedure painful?
With local anaesthetic, you should feel comfortable during the procedure. Mild discomfort after crown placement is normal and temporary.
Do crowns look natural?
Absolutely. Modern dental crown materials and techniques ensure a natural appearance, especially with ceramic, zirconia, and porcelain crowns.
Final Thoughts: Is Getting a Dental Crown Worth It?
The dental crown treatment is a proven and highly successful option in restorative dentistry. Whether you’re looking to fix a decayed tooth, protect a prepared tooth, or improve the appearance of discoloured teeth, a dental crown offers durability, aesthetics, and peace of mind.
Remember, the success of your dental crown depends on the skill of your dentist, the materials used, and how well you maintain your oral health. When in doubt, always speak to your dental professional about the best options for your situation.
Stay on Top of Your Dental Health
By understanding the dental crown process, you can make the right call and maintain a healthy, confident smile for years to come. From temporary crown placement to your final crown, every step is designed to preserve your natural tooth and enhance your quality of life.
If you think you might need a dental crown, don’t delay. Book a consultation with Definitive Dental at (02) 6105 9833 and take the first step toward restoring your smile.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
References
- WebMD. (n.d.). Dental crowns. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/dental-crowns
- Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Dental impressions. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22671-dental-impressions
- Healthdirect Australia. (n.d.). Dental implant. Retrieved from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/dental-implant
- Colgate. (n.d.). What is good oral hygiene? Retrieved from https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/adult-oral-care/what-is-good-oral-hygiene
- Healthline. (n.d.). What you need to know about dental crowns made from zirconia. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/what-you-need-to-know-about-dental-crowns-made-from-zirconia
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). Local Anesthesia Techniques in Dentistry and Oral Surgery. In StatPearls. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK580480/
