Understanding the basics of a dental crown
A dental crown is nothing but a restoration fir the tooth which comes in the shape of a tooth itself. It is also called a cap. A cap or a crown protects a tooth that is badly damaged, decayed or weak. These dental restorations are securely and permanently affixed to the natural tooth structure. A dental crown is always custom made to fit your tooth perfectly in terms of both its shape and size. Thus a crown can pretty easily restore the appearance, functionality as well as strength of a weak tooth. These crowns are made from varieties of materials including porcelain, metal and even zirconia.
What makes a crown break?
It is quite common for dental crowns to suffer breakage. In fact several factors may cause breakage of a crown, some of which include the following –
- Biting hard food items or objects – It is often found that chewing on hard candies, ice cubes, certain nuts and many other tough food items lead to chip, crack and even complete breakage of a dental crown.
- Wear out with time – Just like the human teeth, a dental crown too wears down with time and become weak and fragile. Deterioration over time with normal wear and tear lead to breaking of a crown, explain dental professionals who handle patients with broken crown dental emergency over the years.
- Bruxism – Involuntary habit of clenching and grinding the teeth wear down both the natural enamel coating and dental crowns pretty easily.
- Trauma and accident – A blow received on the face or the mouth from an accident or fistfight can also damage and fracture a crown badly.
In addition to the factors mentioned above, a crown may have pre-existing cracks or weakened structures. Such crowns are more prone to breakage in course of time.
Signs a crown is broken
When a dental crown is broken, it gives out the following signs and symptoms.
- Sensitivity or pain – When a crown is broken you are likely to experience a dull ache or a sharp pain. There could also be sudden sensitivity to hot and cold foods and drinks.
- Cracks, chips and fractures – A crown may also show visible damages like crack, chip or a missing piece.
- Loose of wobbly – A damaged crown may also feel loose in the mouth.
- Discomfort while chewing – A damaged crown is also known to make your chewing difficult. Dental professionals who deal with tooth crown in London add, there could also be difficulties in biting off food with a damaged or compromised crown structure.
If you experience any of these difficulties or symptoms, you should not delay and rather book an appointment with your dentist immediately to secure a permanent solution to the problems. Your dentist will assess the damage to decide whether a repair or a replacement of the crown will be the best way out.
Repairing a damaged or broken crown
Every damaged or broken crown does need a replacement. Crowns can be repaired and fixed provided its damage is not so deep. The decision to repair or replace a crown is made based on the tooth’s overall condition and the extent of damage to the crown.
When chances of repair are possible
Repairing a dental crown is usually done under the following conditions –
- A crown is loose – fixing the problem of a loose crown is possible provided it is only loose and not damaged, explain trained and skilled professionals who provide emergency crown repair near me over the years.
- Minor cracks or chips – if a crown sustains a negligible damage that does not affect its major portion, in those cases the restoration is usually repaired using bonding materials.
Different types of repairing for crowns
- Re-cementing a loose crown involves removing it, thoroughly cleaning both the crown and the underlying tooth, and then securely reattaching it. Then the crown cemented freshly and placed on the tooth again. This is no doubt a simple procedure but cannot be applied repeatedly as a long term solution, especially if the crown keeps becoming loose frequently.
- Dental bonding – This procedure is all about filling in a chipped or cracked area of a dental crown with a resin material which comes in the colour of the tooth. A special curing light is also used in this procedure to harden the resin quickly. Then the crown is given a thorough polish to make it appear just like the other surrounding teeth in your mouth. This bonding option is a quick and affordable solution for crown repair, but it doesn’t last as long as a full crown replacement. This is why dentists usually do not recommend this repairing procedure for crowns that have larger chips or cracks, explain professionals who deal with dental crowns in London.
What benefits do crown repairing serve?
Benefits involved in repairing an existing dental crown are as following –
- Pocket friendly option – replacing an entire crown is much costlier compared to repairing an existing one.
- Does not compromise with the natural tooth structure – compared to a crown replacement, a repair usually retain more of the natural structure of the tooth. Placing or fitting a new crown often requires removal of additional tooth structure.
- Quicker solution – repairing a crown is a quicker procedure and takes much less time compared to a full crown replacement.
Crown repair cons
There are certain drawbacks in dental crown repairing, which you must be aware of to make an informed decision easily. Experts at Emergency Dentist London Pro explain that repairing a crown may not completely cater to the aesthetics of your surrounding teeth or your smile, even though the cost to repair loose crowns is often reasonable. Moreover, crown repairing is not a long-term solution in most cases. A repaired crown is more likely not to last as long as a brand-new replacement.
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