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If you have recently learned that you have a badly broken, damaged, or infected tooth, our dentist may recommend having a dental crown placed. A crown or tooth-shaped “cap” is a fixed prosthetic cemented onto a tooth to restore its appearance, form and function as well as strengthen the tooth. Dental crowns cover a tooth’s entire surface, and when treatment is completed, it will look like your surrounding teeth.

When Crowns are Used

While dental veneers are used to correct small chips or cracks in the teeth and a dental implant is used to replace a missing tooth, dental crowns are used for fixing teeth with severe decay or a dental filling that is compromised and doesn’t protect the tooth anymore.

Crowns are also placed after a root canal, wisdom tooth extraction or to secure a dental bridge restoration by anchoring the adjacent natural teeth. When a dental crown is used after a root canal, it gives extra support to the tooth and lessens the risk of retreatment. There are various types of dental crown materials. The sealing ability is dependent on the filling materials used and the quality of the tooth that is used.

– Ceramic crowns: These are popular as they blend in with the surrounding natural teeth and are highly resistant to wear.

– Crowns made from porcelain fused to metal: These are highly durable and offer a strong seal because of their attachment to the metal.

– Crown made of gold alloys: These are made of a blend of gold, copper and other metals, ensuring a strong bond to the tooth that cannot fracture or wear away the tooth.

– Crowns made of base metal alloys: These are strongly resistant to corrosion and are very strong in general. They require the least amount of healthy tooth removal before placement.

The Making of Your Crown

Unless you are having a crown made on the same day, the making of a dental crown typically requires two visits. The tooth will need to be reduced in size so the crown will fit correctly, and then an impression will be made of the crown. While waiting for your crown to be made, a temporary crown is put in place. When the dental crown is ready, at your followup visit the crown will be cemented onto the affected tooth.

Caring For Your Crown

Since your crown is created to blend into your smile naturally, people around you will likely not even notice you have had a tooth replacement done. If you take good care of your crown by practicing consistent, daily oral hygiene habits, you can avoid the crown becoming loose or falling out. Brushing and flossing twice a day along with regular professional dental cleanings and checkups can keep your teeth (particularly the back molars) healthy and strong so your crown can last a lifetime!

If you would like to know if a crown is right for you, we invite you to give us a call and schedule a consultation with our dentist. We will be happy to help you and your smile today!

Our team strongly encourages everyone to floss daily, but do you ever wonder why? Well, flossing is vital for top-notch oral health and smiles. It can help you and your oral health in more ways than you might realize. This means that if you forget to floss, your smile can also suffer. Forgetting to floss can:

– Leave your smile vulnerable to developing cavities: If you don’t remove food particles, plaque, bacteria and other harmful substances from between teeth, they can attack the tooth enamel and create a hole in the surface, creating what is known as a cavity. The cavity can affect one or more teeth and can spread, infecting multiple layers of the teeth. If you’re not careful, it can affect the tooth nerve, tooth pulp and even the root canal.

– Make you fall victim to gum disease: If you don’t remove plaque from the surfaces of the teeth as well as from the gumline, it can severely affect the gums. In fact, it can irritate and infect the gums to make them swell and bleed. It can also turn into tartar and make the gums recede from the base of the teeth. As time passes, that tartar can spread to the jawbone and deteriorate it, causing loose and even lost teeth. It’s very important to remove plaque daily before it affects the gums.

– Compromise the entire health of your body: If you don’t treat your gum disease quickly, it can contribute to serious health issues like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, respiratory disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

When it comes to proper flossing, some tips we have include the following:

– Use about 16-18 inches of floss and wind most of it around your middle fingers
– Using your thumbs and index fingers, gently use back-and-forth motions to slide the floss between your teeth (avoid snapping the floss onto your gums)
– Following the curves of your teeth, gently floss between each tooth and along the gums
– As you move between each tooth, use a clean area of the floss
– Keep floss or travel floss picks on hand for when you get food particles stuck during the day

Proper flossing helps you not only achieve better oral and overall health but can help avoid costly treatments. If you do need a specific treatment, our team will help you find the most cost-effective solution.

Make sure to floss regularly and at least once a day! That way, you can have the top-notch smile and oral health you deserve. To learn more about flossing, please reach out and talk to a member of our team. We will be more than happy to give you and your family the answers and information that you need for a great smile!

This is the month where we recognize our mothers for all their efforts and take the opportunity to thank them for all they have done, which may also include them teaching us how to brush and floss. As a mother, your oral health is important to both you and your family. When your teeth are strong and your gums healthy, you’ll feel better and be able to take care of your family. Mother’s Day is a reminder your smile is just as important, so now is the time to focus on your dental care needs.

Women face some unique oral health concerns that require routine oral care with the help of the dentist and at your own hand. Some of these circumstances include the following:

– Menstrual cycle: During the course of your menstrual cycle, your hormones can fluctuate and result in red, swollen and bleeding gums, as well as canker sores and cold sores.

– Hormonal birth control: If you use a pill, shot, UID or vaginal ring, your body may have increased levels of estrogen and progesterone, which can make your gums red and sensitive. Furthermore, changes in hormones can complicate tooth extraction by resulting in clotting failure. If you need to have a tooth removed, we encourage you to notify our dentist of your birth control method as well as any other medicine you take.

– Pregnancy gingivitis: Whether you are just starting a family or adding a wonderful little addition, pregnancy makes proper oral care more important than ever. During this time, many women develop pregnancy gingivitis, which can increase dental plaque due to hormonal changes as well as inflame and irritate the gums, even causing them to bleed.

– Menopause: Menopause causes estrogen levels to plummet, and this causes some women to experience a burning sensation in their mouths, a decreased saliva flow that causes dry mouth and an increased risk of osteoporosis that can lead to gum disease.

To prevent and manage these conditions so that you can have the healthy and beautiful smile you deserve, we encourage you to brush for two minutes twice a day as well as floss daily and reduce your intake of sugary snacks. It’s also important to visit your dentist every six months for dental checkups, or sooner if you feel something is not right in your mouth. If you are pregnant, we recommend getting a dental exam and cleaning more often.

Be sure to celebrate your mothers and grandmothers this month, and encourage them to take the time to attend to their own needs, especially their dental health. Our team welcomes the hardworking and loving mothers of our community to contact our dental office and schedule a consultation today!