The Art of Dental Crowns

While dentistry is a medically focused and motivated practice, aiming to improve a patient's health, dentistry is also an art. When considering both the restorative and cosmetic branches of dental care, dentistry exists at the intersection of art and science where form and function are just as important as health. While helping to improve oral health, a dental crown is a treatment that also offers restorative and cosmetic benefits to patients. Creating a dental crown that is both aesthetically pleasing and natural-feeling for the patient is truly an art and a science.

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What Is a Dental Crown?

A dental crown is a restorative dental treatment that uses a prosthetic dental device to restore a seriously compromised tooth. A crown (also called a cap) is a hollow, tooth-shaped, tooth-colored, ceramic dental restoration designed to fit over, cap, and protect the entire visible portion of a tooth (i.e. the part of a tooth located above the gum line).

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When You Might Need a Dental Crown

Dental crowns are primarily used to protect, support, strengthen, and preserve a tooth that has been severely compromised due to:

• Significant tooth decay
• A fracture
• A severe chip
• An old, compromised dental filling
• Root canal therapy
• Injury

Dental crowns completely cover and seal a compromised tooth. This protects the interior of the tooth from infection and decay while supporting the natural tooth's structure.

A dental crown is often recommended in order to avoid the need for tooth extraction.

Dental crowns also offer cosmetic benefits. As a result, they are sometimes used to improve the aesthetic appearance of a patient's smile by improving the balance and symmetry of a smile. For example, dental crowns can be used to cover up permanent discoloration or to correct the irregular size or shape of a tooth.

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The Art of Dentistry and Dental Crown Treatments

Treatment with a dental restoration, such as a dental crown, is truly an art because the design and manufacture of the dental crown must be executed with precision to ensure a seamless look and perfect fit with the surrounding teeth in terms of the shape, size, and color of every surface of the dental crown.

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How Digital Technology Enhances Treatment With Dental Crowns

Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology has revolutionized the process of dental crown design, manufacturing, and treatment, vastly improving the treatment experience and treatment outcomes for patients.

This technology utilizes digital imaging and powerful design software to capture precise images and specifications for use in the design of dental restorations.

In the past, the process of getting a dental crown would begin with dental impressions. This process required patients to bite down on cumbersome trays of sticky dental puddy for several long minutes at a time. When the trays were removed, the puddy could potentially shift, stick, or tear, altering the true impression of the patient's teeth. When dentists had to rely on dental impressions and analog design tools, dental crown treatments were at great risk of being flawed.

Today, we simply use a digital intraoral scanner to quickly scan our patients' teeth. This digital tool captures thorough and accurate high-resolution images, providing us with the necessary data and specifications to quickly design a perfect dental restoration, using advanced design software.

Paired with powerful digital design, our modern precision manufacturing tools enable us to create dental crowns that provide a natural look and comfortable feel for our patients.

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Dental Crown Repair With Our Emergency Dentist in Fairhope, AL

While dental crowns are sturdy and designed to last a lifetime, they can sometimes become damaged, broken, or loose. If this occurs, it should be considered a dental emergency that requires immediate treatment. Left unaddressed, a broken or loose dental crown could result in an interior infection of a tooth.

At Lagniappe Dental, we provide emergency dental care designed to address a wide array of urgent dental concerns, including compromised dental crowns.

If you notice that your dental crown has become loose or is broken, we encourage you to contact our office as soon as possible for an emergency appointment. Our dentist will inspect your dental crown and either reattach it to your natural tooth or provide you with a completely new dental restoration, ensuring that your natural tooth beneath remains safe and sound.

If you are unable to visit the dentist immediately, we recommend using an over-the-counter dental cement to temporarily seal and protect your tooth.

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Dental Crowns and Complete Restorative Dentistry With Our Fairhope, AL Dentist

At Lagniappe Dental, our dentist in Fairhope, AL provides comprehensive dental care, including a complete menu of restorative and cosmetic dental services such as cavity repair, root canal therapy, dental bridges, and dental crowns. Whether disease, age, or injury has impacted your smile, we can provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan designed to restore your smile's form and function.

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To learn more about restorative dentistry and the art of dental crowns or to request an appointment with Dr. David Bruce, we welcome you to contact Lagniappe Dental today.

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