Dental Crowns

If you have teeth that have been badly damaged by trauma or decay, you may be a good candidate for a crown.  A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cover placed over a tooth, and for this reason many people also call them caps.  Porcelain crowns not only restore a natural appearance to your tooth, but they also protect the structure of the tooth to help save it.

Porcelain crowns may be placed for several reasons including improving cosmetic appearance by covering a misshapen or badly discolored tooth.  But usually a crown is covering and protecting a tooth that has been broken or damaged by trauma or decay. As a result of extensive damage, a filling may not be able to replace enough of the tooth or to make the tooth strong enough in the long term. A crown may hold together parts of a cracked tooth.

Crowns are durable solutions and can last many years with proper care and they are stain resistant to maintain the beauty of your smile.  They require only the normal oral hygiene that you practice for your natural teeth – frequent brushing and flossing.  Dr. Thomas is an expert in cosmetic dentistry who has placed thousands of crowns for patients in Owasso and the surrounding area and he will make your experience easy.

If the pulp of the tooth has been infected due to the injury or decay, you may first need a root canal to preserve the natural tooth before placing the crown.  But not everyone who needs a crown needs to have a root canal first.

What to expect when you get a crown:

Local anesthetic.  Dr. Thomas will administer a local anesthetic to the area surrounding the tooth receiving the crown so that you won’t feel any pain during the procedure.

Tooth preparation.  If you need a root canal, that will be done first.  Or, if large portions of the tooth are decayed, damaged or missing, Dr. Thomas may need to build up a foundation to support the crown.

Filing the tooth down.  In order to place the crown over your natural tooth, Dr. Thomas will file down the tooth to make room for the crown to surround it.

Impressions.  Impressions will be made of the teeth next to and above or below the tooth receiving the crown to ensure that the crown which is manufactured will fit correctly and provide the appropriate biting surfaces.

Temporary crown.  A temporary crown will be placed over the filed down tooth in order to protect it and provide a biting surface until your permanent crown is made.  These crowns are not meant to last a long time and temporary cement is used to hold it in place.

Permanent crown.  Your permanent crown will be placed during a second appointment.  Once your permanent crown is ready, Dr. Thomas will remove the temporary crown and test the permanent one.  Sometimes the new crown will need to be smoothed out in spots to ensure proper bite alignment.  Once it is a perfect fit, it will be permanently cemented into place.