Crowns

A dental crown restores a tooth’s shape, size, and strength. It fully covers the existing, visible portion of your tooth or dental implant. Once it is cemented on your tooth, only a dental professional can remove it. With proper home-care and regular cleanings, a crown can last between 5-15 years.

Did you know…

Dental crowns may be necessary for a number of reasons. They include:

To restore the remaining tooth structure following a root canal
To protect a tooth that is broken or damaged.
To restore a decayed tooth with too much damage to support a new filling
To anchor a dental bridge
To disguise tooth discoloration that has not responded to whitening treatments

The type of crown you receive will be determined by you and Dr. Flack based on a number of factors. Two such factors include location in your mouth and levels of stress the crown and underlying tooth will experience. Types of crowns include all porcelain, all metal, or porcelain fused to a metal base. Porcelain is preferred by patients in most cases because of its ability to match other natural teeth.

Your first appointment will usually last 1-2 hours. During this appointment, Dr. Flack will prepare your tooth by reducing its size to make room for the crown. He will then take an impression of the new, smaller tooth and send it to a lab to have a custom crown made that will only fit your tooth. A temporary crown will be made in the office and placed on the tooth until the permanent crown is ready. During your second appointment, Dr. Flack will ensure the crown fits well and is comfortable. At that point, he will permanently cement it in place.