|
General Dentistry
Dental Crowns
A crown is a restoration that covers, or "caps,"
a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and
size, strengthening and improving the appearance
of a tooth. Crowns are necessary when a tooth is
generally broken down and fillings won't solve
the problem. If a tooth is cracked, a crown
holds the tooth together to seal the cracks so
the damage doesn't get worse. Crowns are also
used to support a large filling when there isn't
enough of the tooth remaining, attach a bridge,
protect weak teeth from fracturing, restore
fractured teeth, or cover badly shaped or
discolored teeth.
There are different kinds of crowns that are
available now. Depending on the situation, one
type of the crown is preferred over the other.
-
Metal crowns - this type of dental crown can
be made of gold alloy, palladium, nickel
alloy, or chromium alloy. Metal crowns are
ideal for use on the back teeth.
- Porcelain crowns - this type of dental crown
is composed of a thick layer of porcelain;
these look like normal teeth and are ideal
for use on the front teeth.
- Porcelain
fused to metal (PFM) crowns - this type of
dental crown is composed of underling metal
core covered with tooth colored porcelain.
PFM crowns are stronger than porcelain
crowns and look like normal teeth
|
