Dental crowns are a type of hardworking dental restoration that performs many important tasks in your mouth. Also known as caps, dental crowns work by helping to improve various problems that you may have with your teeth. They are a great option for patients who have teeth that have been cracked or broken by trauma or tooth decay. They can also cover teeth that have been severely stained and are resistant to whitening treatments.

Teeth that have been weakened, or have been treated with large fillings, may also be covered with a crown. We also use them as supports for bridges or to cover a tooth that has gotten a root canal. We here at Carolina Smiles Family Dentistry prefer working with porcelain crowns to give our patients a stronger, more natural-looking restoration for their tooth.

If a tooth has been severely damaged for some reasons, including injury or tooth decay, then it is a danger of being lost. You may also be at an increased risk of a dangerous infection if we do not immediately address the problem. In many cases, a dental crown can make all the difference between requiring a dental extraction and being able to keep your tooth in your mouth. It can also improve your ability to bite and chew, and of course, your appearance will also benefit from a porcelain crown!

Porcelain crowns are a fantastic treatment option for patients with these dental concerns. Not only does it restore your tooth and your beautiful smile, but it is also strong and durable and can last you quite a long time. We like to use porcelain for some reasons.

For starters, it is less brittle than composite resin. It also can prevent an unsightly dark border from forming at your gum line that can occur with other types of crowns. They look and feel just like your real teeth, and nobody will be able to tell you had this procedure done. They also will not cause any dangerous allergic reactions like metal crowns may cause.

The entire procedure for getting a porcelain crown typically takes up to two weeks, from start to finish, to complete. It starts in our office, where we will thoroughly assess your oral health. We will begin by carefully numbing the site of the crown with a local anesthetic to prevent any discomfort to you. Next, we will shape the tooth down to help accommodate the crown.
Our next step is to take an impression of your mouth to send to our lab. In the meanwhile, we will fit you with a temporary crown. Once the lab returns your crown to us, we will then have you return to finalize the fitting. The crown will be placed over the prepared tooth to check that it fits well and is comfortable. If not, we will make any necessary adjustments. Once we are both happy with the fit, we will then cement it to your prepared tooth.

Porcelain dental crowns can help our patients feel confident and happy with their smiles once again. To learn more about porcelain crowns or to set up an appointment with us here at Carolina Smiles Family Dentistry to determine if a porcelain crown can help you, please give us a call today at (803) 794-2273!