Of all the wonderful tools and resources that support your dental health, there’s a good case to be made for putting dental crowns at the top of the list. From preserving your teeth to improving your smile, dental crowns fulfill many key roles.
The team here at McLean Aura Dentistry, which includes prosthodontist, Dr. Negar Tehrani, understands what it takes to keep your teeth and gums healthy and your smile shining bright. As part of our toolbox, we rely heavily on the dental crown, which excels in preserving both form and function.
Here’s how.
Saving your teeth
As dental experts, our overriding goal is to preserve your teeth so that you can avoid tooth loss. In our efforts to accomplish this, we may have to perform extensive dental work on your tooth, leaving it weakened and vulnerable. With a dental crown, we place a cap over your tooth that helps protect it from further damage, while also restoring function to your tooth.
For example, if you have tooth decay, we remove the damaged tissues to prevent the decay from advancing. If the decay is minor, we can use a filling to plug the cavity. If, however, the decay compromised a large portion of your tooth, we place a dental crown over that tooth that not only protects it, but also allows you to use the tooth as you normally would.
Another great example is when you have a root canal infection. Here again, our goal is to save your tooth, which we do by clearing out the infection in the roots of your teeth. Once we’re finished, we typically place a dental crown over the tooth to safeguard it against further problems.
Lastly, if you crack your tooth, we can place a dental crown over it to add strength and avoid extraction.
Something to smile about
A dental crown also plays a great role in covering up a permanently discolored or misshapen tooth. Dental crowns are designed to fit in seamlessly with your surrounding teeth, so if you have a tooth that looks out of place, we can restore the line with a dental crown.
Providing support
If you do lose teeth, dental crowns provide the support you need for your replacements. For example, if you lose a single tooth, you may opt for a dental implant. Once we place the post into your jaw and your bone fuses it into place, we place a crown on the abutment to restore form and function to your mouth.
If you’re missing several teeth in a row and you need a dental bridge, we typically cap the anchor teeth with a crown to better hold and support your bridge, allowing you to chew, smile, and speak with ease.
If you want to learn more about dental crowns, or any other dental service, contact our office in McLean, Virginia, to set up an appointment.
