What are dental crowns?
Dental Crowns, put simply, are shells of material made by a lab that goes over the remaining tooth. They may be used to strengthen teeth that have had lots of fillings and may be cracked or following Root Canal Treatment. They can also be used to improve aesthetics.
Types of dental crowns
At Forward Dental, we offer three types of dental crowns:
Porcelain-only crowns
– These are made from 100% reinforced porcelain. They look fantastic but may require tooth removal than some other types of crowns so have to be carefully planned.
Porcelain and metal crowns
– These are made using a metal core with porcelain fused over the top. They have been used for many years and are proven to have a good life expectancy. The metal base means they can look slightly less natural than the porcelain-only versions but their life expectancy and lower proportion of tooth removal mean they are still a popular choice.
Gold crowns
– These are usually 60% gold alloy. They require the least amount of tooth removal which makes them less invasive and kinder to the tooth. It all depends on how you feel about your appearance.
The process
Normally, a crown can be placed in two visits. During the first appointment, we shape the tooth, take impressions, match the colour(s) with photographs and fit a temporary cover/crown. This protects the tooth and allows you to continue using it as normal. The crown is then created by a lab we have used for many years. The second visit is to check the new crown for fit, aesthetics, and bite, and if all is well, glue the crown in place.
We can also offer dental crowns in one day by using our Cerec machine, talk to our team to learn more.
