What Dental Crowns Can Do For Your Smile

Okamoto and Bigley Dentistry provides dental crowns for patients that are looking to improve the appearance of their smile. Many people still think of silver amalgam crowns when they visualize this versatile dental solution. While they are still in use and incredibly effective, amalgam crowns have the downside of being made of metal and standing out like a sore thumb. For this reason, most of our patients do not ask for a crown

However, it is important to know that crowns now consist of a tooth-colored material that can blend in naturally with your surrounding teeth. That means that you can benefit from the same durability and protective qualities of a crown, without looking like you ever had a restoration.

Dental Crowns in Cosmetic Dentistry

As a cosmetic dentist, we use dental crowns on a regular basis. They can accomplish a wide variety of goals that begins the moment we begin to take measurements of the patient's teeth and create an impression. We provide precise instructions to the lab technicians so that the crowns will fit perfectly around the teeth. In addition, we can adjust the size slightly so that they can close gaps between teeth and change the overall size and shape of the teeth if necessary.

A tooth-colored crown can also help to cover dark stains that remain on the teeth after a whitening procedure proves ineffective. In the cases where the tooth needs to be straighter, a crown is an excellent tool for doing so. Regardless of what the patient does not like about his or her smile, this versatile solution can help to give the patient the beautiful teeth he or she desires.

Another cosmetic dentistry solution is the dental bridge. A bridge can provide a semi-permanent tooth replacement and give the patient back both the appearance and function of teeth. This procedure is made possible by placing crowns on the two teeth that are surrounding the missing one. They serve as anchors to hold the bridge in place so that it is durable. We can discuss this and other cosmetic solutions when the patient comes in for a consultation.

Dental Crowns Can Protect Your Tooth

We also use crowns in restorations and to protect the teeth. This is often necessary as people age, and the teeth begin to experience erosion. It is natural for the enamel to begin to wear off of the teeth over time. This wearing down of the enamel is a natural occurrence of what one eats, how aggressively one brushes the teeth, a lack of dental care and even basic aging.

The problem is that once the enamel erodes, the dentin underneath is exposed, and the teeth can become sensitive to heat and cold when one eats. To protect them and reduce or eliminate the sensitivity, we will place a crown on the teeth so that nothing touches them directly. This is an incredibly effective procedure, and the crowns look natural once in place.

Simultaneously, if the damage was more extensive and the tooth chipped or cracked, a crown can restore the tooth to full functionality. Thus, you can eat the food that you like and bite down without risk of irritation.