Are you in need of a dental crown and wondering what the process is like? Today, we’ll go over what dental crowns are and how they’re made!
What Are Dental Crowns?
Crowns are tooth-shaped caps that cover an existing tooth. They are designed to look, feel, and function just like natural teeth, which means most people won’t even be able to tell the difference! Dental crowns can be used to protect cracked or chipped teeth, support teeth after root canal therapy, replace teeth with dental implants, and so much more. They are a durable, long-lasting restorative solution!
How Are Dental Crowns Made?
- Consultation
- Tooth Preparation
- Digital Impressions
- Temporary Crown
- Permanent Crown.
Before we begin, we have an in-person consultation. This allows our Leesburg Family Dental team a chance to examine the patient’s teeth, gums, and damaged tooth, as well as discuss their smile goals. Once we determine a crown is the best treatment option, we will move forward with the crown process.
We take a close look at the damaged tooth and remove a small amount of enamel. This step is crucial because it ensures that the future crown fits snugly between the two existing teeth. We want it to look natural and fit comfortably.
We take precise, digital impressions of the prepared tooth and upload them to our smile preview software. Using this advanced software, we use the digital impressions to design an exact 3D model of the patient’s crown. We send the impressions and the model to our off-site lab where they create the crown using a durable porcelain or ceramic material.
While we wait for the lab to create the crown, we bond a temporary crown over our patient’s prepared tooth. The temporary crown allows patients to continue on with their everyday life, eating, talking, and smiling with ease while their permanent crown is being constructed.
When we get the permanent crown in from our lab, we’ll make sure the crown fits properly and doesn’t affect the bite or cause any discomfort. When we are sure that it’s up to our strict standards and comfortable for our patient, we will permanently attach the final crown. We use a professional-grade, long-lasting tooth cement to ensure that the crown is securely in place over the existing tooth.
Schedule Your Crown Consultation
Our team at Leesburg Family Dental is dedicated to helping our patients regain healthy, beautiful smiles. If you’re struggling with a severely damaged or decayed tooth, please contact us to schedule a consultation. Our Leesburg, VA team can help you determine if a dental crown is the right restorative treatment for your smile!
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