Dental Crowns

There are several different reasons why a dental crown is required on teeth.

At Southside Dental Group Brisbane we routinely use crowns to:

Repair and strengthen damaged teeth

Teeth with extensive decay or large fillings can leave thin, weak cusps that cannot support the pressures of chewing over several years (cusps are the pointed structures of teeth that take the load while chewing)

Reinforce a structurally compromised teeth

Restore endodontically treated teeth (teeth which have had a root canals)
Improve the appearance of teeth for cosmetic purposes (including colour, shape and even alignment)

Hold a dental bridge in place

Cover a dental implant

Crowns can be made out of:

Porcelain (or other type of dental ceramic)
All procelain / ceramic crowns provide the best natural colour match compared to other crown types and are more suitable for people with metal allergies. These crowns are commonly used to front teeth as they are highly aesthetic however are not as strong as metal or procelain fused to metal crowns.

Metal alloy (a gold or other precious, semi-precious or non-precious alloy)
Metal crowns are a lot more conservative than other crown types as less tooth structure needs to be removed. Metal crowns last the longest and can withstand any biting and chewing forces well. They rarely chip or break however the main issue with metallic crowns is the colour. Metal crowns are a good choice used for out-of-sight back teeth.

A combination of dental ceramic and metal alloy (porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns)
These crowns are the most common type of dental crowns used at Southside Family Dental. They can be colour matched to adjacent teeth unlike metal crowns and have the strength from the underlying metal framework. Sometimes the metal underlying the crown’s porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line as the gums recede, however, this does take years to occur if the crown is created perfectly. These crowns are good for both front and back teeth.

It would be reasonable to expect that a dental crown could last between 5 and 15 years. Depending upon the general wear and tear the crown is exposed to (chewing and biting forces, accidental trauma, tooth grinding) and how well you keep its tooth free of dental plaque, a crown can last somewhat indefinitely.

If a crown is not placed on a tooth that has a large restoration or has been endodontically (root canaled teeth) treated the tooth could fracture and may need to be removed. Due to the minimal structure of tooth remaining on a large restoration and endodontically treated teeth, the biting and chewing pressures will cause vertical fractures in the remaining tooth structure.

The largest study of patients (over 1000) ever done on this subject found that a posterior (back) tooth was twice as likely to break if it was not crowned as if it were.

The crown procedure is split up over two appointments:

Appointment 1 (45mins – 75mins)

1. Numbing the tooth
2. Shaping the tooth (A specific amount of the tooth must be trimmed away. The trimmed tooth must have a specific shape which will help to insure the crown’s retention and stability.)
3. Taking an impression of the prepared tooth
4. Placing a temporary crown
5. Choosing the shade of the porcelain

Appointment 2 (15mins – 30mins)

1. Evaluating the fit and appearance of the crown
2. Cementing the crown