large silver amalgam fillings restored with porcelain crowns
What is a crown anyway? Why won’t a filling suffice?
A crown is a tooth-shaped restoration, usually made out of all porcelain, porcelain baked over metal, or all metal. Unless requested by the patient, we almost exclusively use all porcelain at Timbercrest Dental. This crown covers (or “caps”) a tooth to restore it back to normal shape, size and functionality. This restoration can improve the appearance and strength of an existing decayed or broken tooth.
The need for a crown is determined by Dr. Luther through clinical exam and with the aid of digital radiographs and photographs.
Possible reasons for crown need include:
- severely decayed tooth, non-restorable with a filling
- fractured tooth
- large amalgam (silver) filling with extensive cracking of the tooth and/or amalgam
- root canal therapy
If your tooth is severely decayed and the decay area or existing filling is too large, Dr. Luther may not be able to restore your tooth with a filling. When the decayed area is too large, you risk the chance of the tooth and/or filling breaking off (resulting in the need for a crown) or an infection (resulting in the need for a root canal). Dr. Luther will discuss the possibility of restoring the tooth with a bonded filling vs. restoring the tooth with a porcelain crown.
Large (silver) amalgam fillings that are cracking or causing the tooth surface to crack around the filling can cause in infection (thus resulting in the need for root canal therapy) or can cause a portion of the tooth to fracture off.
If you’ve had a root canal on your tooth, chances are you’ll also need a crown. By removing the blood supply in the canal of the tooth, the tooth becomes brittle and can break off at the gumline. When the tooth breaks off at the gumline, it may be impossible to salvage the tooth.
If the tooth is fractured or has had a large filling in the past, you may also need what is called a crown build-up. This crown build-up builds up or restores the missing portion of the tooth with a hard bonded base that the crown hugs; the build-up strenthens the restored tooth root to help support the crown.
Porcelain crowns look just like natural teeth, and need to be kept clean just like natural teeth. It is still possible to get decay along the edge of the crown where it meets the root of your tooth, so brushing and flossing are necessary to keep your investment healthy.
If you have any questions about a crown or crown build-up, please call our office at 920-659-6025. One of our friendly staff can help answer any concerns you may have.
