If you have a damaged or decayed tooth, a dental crown can restore its shape and size. At Personalee Dental in Woodland Hills, California, James Lee, DDS, offers restorative dental crowns. Personalee Dental utilizes the Medit intraoral scanner onsite to take digital impressions for greater accuracy and comfort when placing your dental crowns. To learn more, call Personalee Dental or book an appointment online today.
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap. It fits directly over the visible portion of your tooth to restore its shape, size, and color after severe damage or decay. Crowns also protect weak teeth from further damage by providing a strong barrier.
Crowns are available in a variety of materials, including:
- Porcelain
- Ceramic
- Composite resin
- Zirconia
- Or a combination
When choosing a crown material, it’s important to consider the location of your damaged tooth, how much of your tooth shows when you smile, and the severity of your tooth damage.
After a comprehensive dental evaluation, Dr. Lee and the team can recommend the most suitable crown material option for you.
What can a dental crown treat?
Dental crowns are restorative treatments that return your damaged tooth to its natural shape and size. Not only do crowns restore the appearance of your tooth, they also improve your tooth function when you bite and chew.
The most common reasons Dr. Lee and the team recommend dental crowns include to repair:
- Chipped teeth
- Cracked or broken teeth
- Teeth worn from grinding
- Severely decayed teeth
- Teeth with large fillings
- Misshapen teeth
Crowns also attach to dental implants and anchor bridges. The team may advise a crown if you’ve recently had a root canal treatment. A dental crown can help prevent reinfection of the treated tooth by sealing bacteria out.
What is the dental crown process like?
Planning and placing a dental crown typically takes two appointments. During the first visit, Dr. Lee and the team perform a dental exam that includes digital X-rays to determine whether you’re a good candidate for a crown.
Next, the team takes highly accurate digital impressions of your teeth with the Medit intraoral scanner. That eliminates the need for messy, uncomfortable physical impressions. Digital impressions provide better accuracy when creating your crown, so it looks and feels like your natural tooth.
It takes about 2-3 weeks to create a custom crown. In the meantime, Dr. Lee fits you for a temporary crown to protect your damaged tooth. He removes the temporary restoration at your second visit and places your permanent crown.
After adjusting the crown for the perfect fit and appearance, he cements it in place. Once placed, a dental crown fully restores your ability to chew and speak comfortably.
To learn more about dental crowns, call Personalee Dental or schedule an appointment online today.