Pros and Cons of Dental Crowns

When the crown procedure is completed, thecause dental decay and gum disease.
patient's teeth become stronger and more attractiveThere are also some advantages and disadvantages
because crowns are created and designed to lookthat are specific to each type crowns. Tooth crown
natural and to improve the tooth's appearance.made from gold is the simplest and least complicated
Crowns are intended to last for up to 8 years and ittype of crown because the removal of tooth
can even last for a much longer period of time whenstructure is very minimal leaving healthier tooth
the patient observes good oral hygiene and avoidstructure to remain. Fitting gold crowns to the area
damaging habits like teeth grinding, ice chewing andwhere the tooth and crown meet are also much
fingernail biting.easier. Gold crown is not hard and does not cause
When the crowned tooth has a retained nerve in it,any wearing on opposing teeth even after several
patient may experience some hot and cold sensitivityyears. The only disadvantage of gold crown is that it
especially between the edge of the crown and thedoes not look appealing or attractive when placed in
gum line. To minimize this tendency, dentist usuallyfront mouth.
recommends brushing with toothpaste designed forTooth crowns prepared and made from porcelain or
sensitive teeth. Pain that occurs during bitingnew reinforced resin are said to be the most
sometime result from crown that is set too high onaesthetically satisfying because this material comes
the tooth. If this is the case, call the dentist so thatwith different shades that can easily matched to the
he can easily fix this problem.color of the surrounding teeth. However, porcelain
Aside from the sensitivity issues, there are also somecrowns require the dentist to remove more tooth
slight drawbacks on having teeth crowns when thestructure regardless whether the structure is healthy
cement washes out from under the crown. Whenor not because porcelain needs a specific thickness
this happen, the crown become loose and it can allowto appear attractive. Porcelain crowns are more
bacteria to leak in and cause decay to the tooth thatdifficult to fit in between gums and the crown itself
remains.requiring higher level of dexterity from the dentist
Sometimes crowns may also fall off. This mayand crown fabricator. Gingival inflammation is the
happen because of improper fit or lack of cementcommon drawback in porcelain crowns. Crowns made
surrounding the crown. If this happens, clean theof all-porcelain can sometimes chip. If the chip is small,
crown or replace the crown temporarily by usinga composite resin can be used to repair the chip with
dental adhesive or temporary tooth cement andthe crown remaining in the patient's mouth. If the
immediately contact the dentist as soon as possible.chipping is extensive, the crown may need to be
But all of these can be prevented if the patient willreplaced.
refrain from chewing hard food or biting ice or otherTo minimize the disadvantages of using all Porcelain
hard objects. Teeth grinding must be also avoided.crowns, an alternative porcelain fused-to-metal
Besides regular visits to the dentist and brushingcrowns can be fabricated. This porcelain fused to
twice daily, cleaning between teeth is vital withmetal crown has a very natural teeth facade but
crowns. Floss or interdental cleaners are importantsince it has a metal base, a darker line will be
tools to remove plaque from the crown area wherenoticeable at the edge of the crown near the gum
the gum meets the tooth. Plaque in that area canwhen the crown recedes as time goes by.