Porcelain Crowns
Gambrills, MD
 Dental crowns are a very important part of our practice, because they help to protect our patient’s teeth. Would you like to know more about porcelain crowns? Let Dr. Antonino Barbaro Cosmetic & Family Dentistry give you more information about dental crowns and how we use them in our practice as a part of our restorative dentistry and cosmetic dentistry services.
What Are Dental Crowns?
Some people call crowns dental caps, because crowns do act like a cap. Dental caps, or crowns, work to protect your whole tooth. We also use them when we need to make our patient’s teeth match their other teeth. Dental crowns cover teeth that have been chipped, cracked or broken. If your tooth is only mildly cracked, we may be able to fix it with bonding. However, if we are concerned the chipped or cracked tooth could be damaged further, we can crown the tooth to give it additional protection.
Dental practitioners have been using crowns, including porcelain crowns, for centuries in their practices. Earlier dental crowns were made of silver and gold material for hundreds of years. In fact, crowns were considered a status symbol for wealth, which makes sense because both gold and silver crowns can be very expensive. We know there were people walking around not so long ago and showing off their gold crowns to their friends. We don’t do a lot of silver and gold crowns anymore, because people want their crowns to look more natural. Instead, we usually make crowns with porcelain over a metal cap. This makes the crown durable, and strong enough to be used on the molars.
What Are Porcelain Crowns Used For?
Crowns can fix many dental problems you might have. We can place crowns over a tooth that is weak and needs protecting. Sometimes crowns are placed after you receive a root canal. Teeth can become weak for a lot of reasons. Perhaps you had a very large filling in a tooth from the 1970s or 1980s. Back then, practitioners drilled out large pieces of tooth to rid a tooth of a cavity. This over-drilling makes teeth weak. We can also use crowns to cover broken, cracked, or chipped teeth as well. If you have a discolored, injured tooth, we can restore it to its natural color with a porcelain crown. Crowns are easy to place. Once the crown is ready, we sand your tooth down a bit, and place the crown on top.
Taking Care Of Dental Crowns
Just like your natural teeth, dental crowns can potentially sustain damage. The natural tooth beneath the crown is still at risk for decay. There are some steps that you can take in order to protect both the natural tooth and the crown.
Perhaps the most important thing that you can do is to brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day. This is such an important part of your dental wellness. Be sure to also keep your appointments with your general dentist for routine checkups and professional cleanings.
Be sure to also avoid chewing ice and other hard items. Porcelain crowns are durable enough to stand up to your bite force, but they are still at risk of damage if you accidentally bite down too hard. Call Dr. Antonino Barbaro Cosmetic & Family Dentistry at (443) 300-0400 to schedule your consultation for porcelain crowns, and other beneficial cosmetic solutions. We also provide CEREC crowns, which can be placed the same day! |
