Crowns
A crown (often called a cap) covers the tooth and restores it to its original shape and size. Decay is removed and cleaned from the tooth and a highly accurate impression or mold is made of the prepared surface. This mold is used to create a model of the tooth that is then sent to a special laboratory that will create a gold or porcelain (tooth-colored) crown. The crown is then cemented onto the prepared surface of the tooth.
Crowns are incredibly strong because they are created in a laboratory. This protects and strengthens the remaining tooth structure. In the hands of a skilled dentist, a crown will fit almost perfectly onto the prepared surface of the tooth, reducing the size of the seam between the crown and the tooth. This precision helps keep decay from eventually occurring under the crown.
Crowns can be an efficient and timely treatment that will save you from more extensive procedures in the future. They should be placed before the tooth is so decayed that it may fracture. This can often help prevent the expense of root canal therapy at a later date. The timely placement of a crown can also prevent the possibility that a fractured tooth may need to be removed, requiring the expense of a bridge or implant to replace the missing tooth.
