Porcelain Crowns

Crowns are tooth shaped coverings used in cosmetic dentistry to restore the natural look of the teeth. They are used by family dentists when the filling area is too large to be filled with usual filling material. Crowns are also used for fixing the teeth that are badly broken or chipped. They can be used to make a dental bridge or cap as well. At Culver City Dentist, we use porcelain crowns for front teeth because they look like natural teeth and have several shades that can be mixed to match the color of the surrounding teeth.

Porcelain has enamel-like features when it comes to light. Porcelain is translucent which makes the tooth with porcelain crown look like a natural one.

For placing a porcelain crown, our family dentists at Culver City Dentist check the tooth first to see if it is healthy enough to be crowned. If there is any decay, a root canal should be performed. After that an impression of the tooth should is made. Once the crown is made and back from the lab, the family dentist will choose the shade that suites the color of your teeth best and will place the porcelain crown on your tooth. Crowns are not permanent and should be replaced every ten to fifteen years.

The crowned teeth might be sensitive after the procedure. If the tooth still has a nerve, you might be sensitive to heat and cold. Crowns may become chipped. If the chip is small, resin would be used to fix it. But if the chipped area is large or the porcelain crown is broken, it needs to be replaced. The crown might also become loose due to the washing off of the cement that attaches it to the tooth. If the crown becomes loose, bacteria can reach to the tooth and cause the tooth to decay. If the crown falls off, which can happen due to improper fit or lack of cement, the dentist might be able to cement it back to your tooth. If not, you have to get a new crown built and placed on your tooth.