Getting Dental Crowns in Beverly Hills
Dental crowns, often called caps, are essentially prosthetic teeth. Each crown looks like a tooth and is placed directly over an existing tooth to improve the appearance of unsightly, neglected, damaged, or deformed teeth. Every part of the existing tooth is covered by the crown, which is where its alternate name of "cap" comes from.
What are the reasons for getting dental crowns?
Beverly Hills dental crowns patients pursue the procedure for a variety of reasons. Some of these include:
- For protection: Maybe a tooth is starting to experience decay and there's a threat of breakage, or a tooth might be cracked, so the crown is placed as a sealant
- For restoration: A tooth might already be broken and unattractive or severely eroded
- For cosmetic reasons: This can include a tooth that is wearing away, revealing an old filling, or simply discolored or misshappen teeth
- As a supplement to a dental bridge procedure: Crowns hold the bridge in place
- As a supplement to a dental implant procedure: Crowns cover the metal implant that acts as a new root
What kind of material is used to make a crown?
There are 4 major categories of materials in permanent dental crowns: metal, metal with a porcelain outer lining, resin, and all ceramic or porcelain.
- Crowns made of metal, can consist of different materials. Some are gold alloy or other alloys, like palladium and others might be a base-metal alloy like nickel or chromium. The obvious drawback to metal crowns is their metallic appearance. However, there are many benefits as well. Metal crowns cause less wearing away of neighboring teeth than other crowns, and also require less prepatory buffing of teeth than other crown materials. Metal also can tend to last the longest, resisting breaks and chips better than other materials. Even though metal crowns have a metallic appearance, they are durable, thus often used for less visible teeth.
- Dental crowns that have an outer layer of porcelain fused to a metal core can, unlike purely metal crowns, be matched to the color of existing teeth. But, the porcelain can wear away at neighboring teeth, and is more vulnerable to chipping and breaking than metal. Porcelain provides the most natural final appearance of any other dental crown material, but the translucence of porcelain can sometimes allow the metal core to show through. This tends to be more a problem at the gum line, however, especially if the gums recede over time. While the metallic nature of metal crowns usually restricts them to hidden teeth, porcelain crowns can be used on both the hidden and prominent teeth.
- Resin crowns are the least pricey of the other material, but they are also the most vulnerable to wear, breaks, and chips.
- Dental crowns made complete of ceramic or porcelain result in the most natural final apearance, and also are safest for patients who might have an allergy to metals. They are unfortunately not quite as resistant to breaking and chipping and can cause some wearing away of neighboring teeth. Because they so resemble natural teeth, they are perfect for prominent teeth.
- Because permanent crowns are made in a laboratory and involve a short waiting period, dentists can make temporary crowns to help patients' teeth presentable until the final crowns are ready. The temporary crowns are usually constructed with acrylic or stainless steel.
What is the dental crown process?
Beverly hills dental crown patients usually attend three appointments. The first is the consultation where you discuss your goals with the dentist and receive an evaluation to determine if crowns are, indeed, the most appropriate solution for your needs. Then you'll meet with the dentis again for deeper examination of the teeth and preparation for the crowns, and finally you'll return to have the crowns permanently situated.
- During the second appointment - the deeperexamination and preparation of the tooth, your mouth will be x-rayed to verify that there is no serious decay or possibility of infection at the root of the tooth. If the area is deemed vulnerable to such problems, the implants may have to be postponed for a preliminary root canal. However, if the root and bone look healthy, your dentist will apply an anesthetic to the area, including the tooth and surrounding gum tissue, and then file the end and sides of the tooth so that there is room to fit the crown over it. In some cases, patients' teeth are actually already worn away or chipped, so the dentist might have to add a filling so the tooth is better able to support the crown. Different crown materials - metal crowns are thinner than porcelain or porcelain/metal crowns - will require different levels of tooth-filing. Once the tooth is appropriately manipulated to support a crown, a mold is taken of the tooth to be "capped." To make sure the bite will not be affected, and that it will not affect the crown, a mold of opposing teeth is also taken. If porcelain is going to be used, this visit will also involve the choosing of the most appropriate color for the porcelain. Once the final decisions are made and the mold is ready, it is sent to the laboratory and usually returned in about 2-3 weeks. Many Beverly Hills dental crowns patients have temporary crowns placed, so to close this appointment, your dentist will make this temp. crown (usually acryllic) and secure it with a cement adhesive.
- You'll return for your third visit, once the crowns are sent back from the lab, so your dentist can permanently place the crowns. Your temporary is removed, the mouth is cleaned, and the fit of the permanent crowns, as well as the color shad, is checked over. Once it's decided that all looks okay, your dentist applies a local anesthetic and secures the permanent crown.
Any special care required for the temporary crown?
Yes, actually. Since they're temporary, precautions have to be taken to make them last the 2 or 3 weeks until your permanent crowns are ready. Some tips to keep in mind:
- Avoid chewy candy like caramels and jelly beans, or any other sticky food that might be able to grab hold of the temporary crown and pull it out of place.
- Try to focus more on where in your mouth you chew your food, and be sure you're avoiding the area with the temporary crown. Chew on the opposite side of it as much as possible.
- Try to stay away from very hard, strong foods, like certain fruits and vegetable that might chip or break the temporary crowns Still keep up with your flossing, but avoid lifting the lodged food up out from between teeth, as this might pull of the crown. Try to slip food out the side of teeth, instead.
Any concerns that dental crowns patients should know about?
- Discomfort: There might be some immediate sensitivity, especially after the effects of the anesthetic begin to fade. There may also be a sensitivity to hot or cold, usually for patients whose crowned teeth still have a nerve. Your dentist can usually recommend a sensitive toothpaste to help combat this. Also, some patients experience slight discomfort when they bite down. If this occurs, it's best to contact your dentist because odds are the crown was positioned higher than it should have been.
- Chipping: This risk is most associated with porcelain crowns. When drastic chipping occurs, the crown will have to be replaced, but many smaller chips in the crown can be repaired with a composite resin.
- Loosening of crowns: This is usually considered to be rare, but can occur when cement washes away. Since it exposes a gap between the tooth and the crown, it can lead to infection and decay, so it is necessary to contact your dentist right away if it seems like a crown is loose.
- Crown that falls off: If crowns are improperly placed, or aren't quite the right fit, they can sometimes fall off. If this happens, you should contact your dentist right away for help learning how to specifically care for your exposed tooth and loose crown until you can get into the office for an appointment. You can usually temporarily replace a crown that falls off by cleaning the tooth as instructed by your dentist and then adhering it with a store-bought dental cement. Depending on the situation, the existing crown may be simply re-cemented, or an entirely new crown might have to be constructed.
- Allergic reaction: Rarely, some patients might experience an allergic reaction to the metal or porcelain used to make crowns. Gray-like coloring near gumline: This will usually only show for patients who have crowns made of metal with a porcelain coating, if the metal shows through at the edge of the crown.
I understand crowns, but why do I also hear of Onlays and 3/4 Crowns?
Onlays and 3/4 crowns, variations on traditional crowns, do not provide complete coverage of existing teeth. Onlays and 3/4 crowns do not encompass the entire existing tooth as do the crowns discussed thus far.
How long can Beverly Hills dental crowns expect the work to last?
Dental crowns are considered to have an average life of about 5-15 years, depending on their treatment and maintenance. Patients who continue good oral hygiene routines, and those who resist clenching and grinding teeth, or biting on ice and using teeth to open bottles, will see a much longer lifespan of their crowns.
Any special care required for a permanent crown?
There isn't anything required of patients in terms of keeping an actual crown in good shape, but it is important for patients to remember that their natural tooth still exists beneath the crown. This means that regular oral hygiene routines must not be abandoned, so patients should continue to brush twice a day and floss once daily. In fact, flossing becomes especially important around the crowned areas.
What is the expense associated with dental crowns?
This can vary based on the region in which you live and the type of crown that is chosen. In general, the price can is typically $1875 per crown. Insurance usually does not apply to permanent crowns.