What happens during the first visit for a dental crown?

A dental crown is a cap which is placed over the tooth to protect the damaged tooth and restore its shape, size, and color. They are cemented on the gumline strengthening the tooth.

There are many reasons why a person might need a dental crown. A few of them are:

·         Your tooth is badly damaged due to accident or trauma.

·         There is a severe decay which has to lead to the weakening of tooth or protects the tooth from breaking or from cracking.

·         If the tooth is already broken, then a dental crown can restore your worn-down tooth

·         When you undergo a dental implant treatment, then having a dental crown is a must as it improves the aesthetic appearance.

·         When you have to undergo treatment of dental bridge

·         To protect the badly shaped and discolored tooth

All the above cases demand a dental crown placement over the tooth. The advancement in the dental industry has bought about many changes in the procedures and requirements. Such is the case with dental crowns. Today the crowns are available in various types such as metal crowns, porcelain-fused-to-metal, resin and all ceramic.

Every crown has its own pros and cons. The type that suits you will depend on the case and after the thorough examination by your dentist. There are various factors that have to be taken into consideration when you plan to go ahead with placing dental crown such as:

·         Strength – This is something which obviously most of us go for especially when it comes to something like chewing and biting which requires force. If the placement of the crown is such that it requires forces to withstand, then go for a crown which is strong. All metal crowns are basically a stronger and preferred choice. Ceramic crowns, on the other hand, are not as strong as metal ones.

·         Durability – This is another factor that is to be taken into consideration. The longer a crown can be of usage the better it is. And if this is the case then the crown which is strongest will also be the one which is most durable i.e. the metal crowns. Another such important crown which is durable is PFM crown which has a metal base and covered with porcelain.

·         Appearance – People today are also concerned about their looks and therefore choosing crown is based on this very important factor especially when the placement is on the front teeth. In such a situation, metal crowns do not seem fit whereas the ceramic crowns fit best in this category followed by PFM crowns.

Basis the factors as mentioned above we tend to choose the type of crown we would like to go with. Once decided, we then visit a dental clinic to get it placed. Normally the process of placing the dental crown takes at least two steps.

We will deal with the phase when it's your first visit to get the dental crown placed. So, what happens during the first visit?

Your dentist will first take a few X-Rays of the tooth of the root to understand the condition of your tooth. if in the X-Ray it has been found that the root of your tooth is badly damaged, then you might first need to undergo the root canal procedure which is a very simple procedure necessary to remove the infection from the root of the tooth.

Once this is done, your dentist will numb the area where a crown needs to be placed using local anesthesia. Then your tooth is prepared by clearing sides to make space for crown placement. What amount of area needs to be cleared will depend upon the type of crown you are planning to place. For instance, some crowns require a larger area for placement while some require a much lesser area in comparison.

For example, if your crown requires lesser area and the area missing is larger, then your dentist will fill that area using the type of filling chosen. This will be done to support the crown to be placed.

The developments in dentistry have to lead to taking digital X-Rays for impressions for the crown. The impression taken will be on the basis of the factors as discussed above and taking into consideration a person’s bite.

After a proper impression is being taken, your dentist will send the impression to the lab for it to manufacture. The crown manufacturing takes two to three days after which the lab send the final crown back to be placed. For these two-three days when your crown was being prepared, your dentist will give your temporary crown for the functionality and for aesthetics.

The next and the final step is the placement of the crown which is done in a dental clinic by your dentist after all the processes as mentioned above.