Porcelain Crowns: Your teeth play a vital role in your life and health. Not only do they allow you to chew food and speak to people, they also shape your face. Your teeth provide confidence and influence your social lives, relationships, and careers.
Unfortunately, your teeth incur damage as you grow due to tooth decay or injuries. This can alter your smile and put you at greater risk for more serious dental concerns. But dental crowns can be placed over your damaged teeth to help restore the functionality and look of your beautiful smile.
Dental crowns are essentially caps that are placed over pre-treated teeth. The crowns protect, cover, and bring back the shape of your teeth when fillings fail to solve the problem or are too large.
The dental crowns are usually metals, ceramics, or porcelain. While all of these have their own benefits, most patients are turning to porcelain crowns for their natural-appearance and strength.
Table of Contents
Benefits of the Porcelain Crowns
If you have tried other dental treatment procedures and failed, it may be time you try porcelain crowns.
These crowns are preferable because:
- They look natural
- They improve your oral hygiene and smile
- They can repair severely decaying teeth
- They protect teeth after a root canal
- The procedure is simple and relatively painless
- They are affordable and can be paid in part or full with dental insurance
- They can serve you for 15 to 30 years with proper care
- The risk of fracture is low
The Porcelain Crown Treatment Procedure
- The porcelain crown treatment usually takes two appointments.
- The first visit is for preparing your teeth for the porcelain crown that will be fitted.
- The process entails pinpointing and extracting any weak parts of the tooth and taking imitations to fit a temporary crown
- Sometimes the process may call for an X-ray to determine if your tooth is damaged.
- The dentist will place temporary crowns over your teeth to protect them until the final restorations come in.
- The imitations are sent to the lab to prepare the permanent crowns. This step might take a few weeks.
- At your second appointment, the temporary crowns are removed, and your new custom-made crowns are placed.
Recovery and What to Expect After Porcelain Crown Treatment
You will take a few days to recover after the porcelain crown treatment. You are likely to experience inflammation, sensitivity, and irritation that should disappear within one or two weeks.
Rinsing your mouth with warm salty water will help reduce swelling of the gums. Over-the-counter medications can help manage any discomfort you experience during recovery.
Going back to the dentist is wise if you still feel discomfort and trouble biting during the recovery period. Also, persisting soreness is a sign that the porcelain crowns need adjustments.
Exercising After Receiving Crowns
You do not want a blood clot or separation to lead to further complications and infection. Your caps or crowns need time to hold correctly.
Therefore, it is essential to relax and avoid physical activity for four to five days.
Candidacy for Porcelain Crowns
Tooth Decay
Porcelain crowns are ideal if teeth are severely damaged and cannot support a filling. These crowns are incredible for fractured and decayed teeth. Your dentist will remove the decaying portion and place porcelain crowns on your teeth to support them.
Root Canals
Your dentist may advise you to put porcelain crowns on your teeth after a root canal procedure. Porcelain crowns will strengthen your teeth after the process. However, the option is not mandatory, and your dentist will consult before taking this critical step.
Dental Implants
Dental implants refer to the titanium post placed in your jawbone — not the restoration. Your dentist will fix a porcelain crown(s) to the implants to act like a natural tooth.
Cosmetic Reasons
You can settle for a porcelain crown simply due to cosmetic reasons. Porcelain crowns are a dependable choice if your teeth are severely discolored and do not respond to whitening treatment. Also, if your teeth are misshapen, you can choose porcelain crowns.
Getting a Natural Look Using Crowns
One of the best features of porcelain crowns is that they look like natural teeth. They are colored to match your surrounding teeth and they allow light to bounce off of them just like your natural teeth.
Also, since the entire restoration is made of porcelain, there is no way to see any line of discoloration after placement. On top of all of that, they are metal-free, so individuals who are wary of having metal in their mouth have nothing to worry about.
