If your dentist has informed you that you need to have a crown applied to one of your teeth, you may be nervous. Knowing what to expect throughout the procedure will help calm your nerves and ensure the process goes more smoothly. Here's a close-up look at the process.
Appointment #1: Preparing the Tooth
Your crown application procedure will likely occur across two appointments. At this first appointment, your dentist will prepare your tooth. This will involve removing any decayed tooth material, as well as filing the tooth down just a little so that there is room for the crown. You'll be numb for this part of the procedure, so it won't be painful.
Once your dentist has drilled and filed your tooth down, you'll be asked to bit into some soft, Play-Doh-like material. This will give your dentist a mold of your tooth, which will be sent to the lab so that a properly sized and shaped crown can be made for you. Your dentist will discuss your options for crown materials. There's composite, which is inexpensive and tooth-colored but less durable, porcelain, which costs more but is more durable, and metal, which is inexpensive and durable but not tooth-colored. Your dentist will thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of these options with you to ensure you make the right choice.
Next, your dentist will cover your tooth with a temporary crown made from hard plastic. You'll be sent home with this crown and told to brush your teeth as normal but to avoid the hardest and crunchiest foods to avoid damaging the temporary crown.
Appointment #2: Placing the Permanent Crown
This appointment will be scheduled as soon as your crown arrives from the lab. With any luck, it will be within a week or two of your first appointment. You'll be numbed once again, since your tooth will be a little sensitive while the temporary crown is removed. Your dentist will remove this crown simply by using a tweezer-like device to pry it off your tooth.
Next, your dentist will wash your tooth with some special antiseptic rinse. He or she will use suction to keep the area dry while applying the cement and then putting the permanent crown in place. After the cement dries for a few minutes, you'll be asked to bite down. Based on your bite, your dentist may file down the crown in certain areas for a better fit. Then, you'll be sent home. Your new crown should not pose any limitations on your eating or dental hygiene practices.
Share15 April 2016
When the bottled water craze began, I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else who was drinking water from bottles instead of from the tap. I wasn't sure why bottled water was healthier, but I liked the taste. When I went for my next dental check-up, I had my first cavity in a while, so I had it filled and didn't think much of it. Well, I had two more during my next check-up after that, and I began trying to think of why my teeth were suddenly going bad. The only change in my habits was the switch to bottled water, so I made the switch back to tap water and my teeth began to improve. I created this blog to encourage others who have begun getting cavities suddenly to look into their changes in habits. They may find they made a change similar to mine.