Crowns
A dental crown is a tooth shaped cap that is placed over a tooth to restore is shape, size, strength and also improve its appearance.
Crowns are needed in the following conditions:
- To protect a weak tooth from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
- To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
- To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth left
- To hold a bridge in place
- To cover misshapened or severely discolored teeth
- To cover a tooth implant
Crowns may be used for children too, to protect baby teeth.
Permanent crowns can be made from stainless steel, all metal (such as gold or another alloy), porcelain-metal, all resin, or all ceramic. The ceramic crowns provide the best colour match to natural teeth.
Temporary crowns are made in the clinic, whereas most permanent crowns are typically made in a dental laboratory. Typically, temporary crowns are made of an acrylic-based material or stainless steel and can be used as a temporary restoration until a permanent crown is constructed by a lab.