Teeth get damaged. It’s just a fact of life. Sometimes, the damage is from widespread decay; sometimes, it’s from long-term stress and pressure (think grinding your teeth and clenching your jaw at night), and sometimes, we get into accidents that result in facial trauma. Extensive damage compromises the integrity of the teeth, making them brittle and vulnerable to infection. This then starts to affect your ability to eat, drink, and talk and generally ruins your day. A filling won’t be enough to fix this kind of damage. That’s where crowns come in.
What is a Crown?
At Centreville Family Dentistry in Centreville, MI, we use crowns to fix teeth when the structure is too compromised for a filling. Crowns are usually made of a special dental-grade material that looks a lot like tooth enamel (porcelain, ceramic, or zirconia), but they can be made of other materials. It depends on what you need and the aesthetic you’re going for.
Structurally, a crown is basically a hollowed-out prosthetic tooth. It’s made that way to cover the existing damaged tooth to strengthen it and restore its original shape. Crowns are strong, made to stand up to everyday wear and tear, so they perform as well as natural teeth. Basically, if you get a crown, you won’t be able to tell it’s there because it will look, feel, and work just like any other tooth.
Did you know? At Centreville Family Dentistry in Centreville, MI, we don’t only use crowns to fix damage. We also use them for cosmetic reasons, as part of a smile makeover, to finish a dental implant, or to anchor a dental bridge.
Why Crowns?
To us, dental crowns are like little tooth-shaped superheroes that save teeth from being extracted. Because of their shape and durability, crowns reinforce teeth that are too damaged to function on their own. This prevents them from sustaining more damage or becoming infected (yikes). Crowns also improve chewing ability and take away any pain or discomfort associated with the damaged teeth.
If one of our expert dentists recommends a crown, it’s no joke. So, please take them seriously. A crown could save your tooth!
For more information about dental crowns in Centreville, MI, please contact us to schedule an appointment.
