Chicago Dental Crowns

You often hear people refer to a dental crown as a cap. That is an accurate description. Think of a dental crown as a cap for your tooth. A crown may become necessary when a tooth is significantly damaged or weak, but it still has a healthy root.

Some cases where crowns are used include the following:

• A broken tooth
• A tooth that is vulnerable to cracking
• A tooth with significant decay
• A tooth with an old filling

Placing a dental crown

A crown can be placed in two appointments. During the first appointment, your tooth will undergo preparation. First, any tooth decay will be removed. The shape of the tooth will also be manipulated by shaving it to adequately fit the prosthetic. Next an impression of your teeth is made and sent to the lab. While your permanent crown is being created, a temporary crown will be put in place to both protect your tooth and keep you from feeling self conscious. When your permanent crown is ready it will be cemented down, making it secure.

Types of Crowns

There are many more options in dental crowns than there used to be. Dr. Olono prefers to put all porcelain crowns on front teeth. Another option that he feels gives a beautiful esthetic is Captek crowns, which have gold coping. Either one will give a beautiful, natural appearance on your front teeth.

For your back teeth Dr. Olono will place a porcelain fused to metal crown. They are slightly stronger than their all-porcelain counterparts, which has its benefits, especially on a molar where a much greater bite force is used on a regular basis. We only do these on back teeth because porcelain fused to metal crowns tend to be a little more opaque, which is caused by the need to cover the dark metal foundation.