Crowns

Crowns

A crown, sometimes referred to as a ‘cap’, is a tooth-like restoration that fits over the existing natural tooth to restore function, contour, appearance, as well as to strengthen a damaged tooth. This includes teeth that have been chipped or damaged due to trauma, teeth that have been weakened by severe tooth decay, teeth with old restorations that may have become defective and teeth that have undergone root canal treatment.

Crowns are usually made of porcelain and/or gold alloy. Porcelain is strong, can be made to match the colour of existing teeth, is resistant to staining and can be cleaned if it does become stained.

Gold alloy is strong, hard, durable and is especially good for molars which need to withstand the forces of grinding and crushing (chewing).

Two appointments are required for the preparation and fitting of a crown.

In the first appointment, the tooth is prepared (shaped) making it smaller all the way around by 1-2mm. After the preparation has been completed, an impression of your teeth is taken and sent to a dental ceramist who makes the crown according to the specifications set by Dr Chua. Finally, a temporary crown is placed over the re-shaped tooth both for aesthetic reasons and to protect the tooth until the permanent crown can be cemented.

In the second appointment the temporary crown is removed and the new crown is placed over the tooth to make sure the shape and colour match properly. If everything looks good, the crown is then cemented in place with special dental cement. The cement will set after about 1 hour and should reach full strength in 24 hours.

The last thing we will do is to ensure your occlusion (bite) is correct and if you feel any discomfort or abnormalities you must mention this to us so we can make the necessary minor adjustments needed to achieve optimal comfort.

The completed crown should ultimately feel comfortable and natural in your mouth.