Dental Crowns are small caps that fit over the tops of your teeth and are cemented in place. They restore teeth to their proper shape and function. There are many different types of crowns and each one has certain advantages and price ranges. If crowns are necessary for you, we can discuss what the different types are and make a recommendation. The three basic types are:

1. Full Gold Crowns
2. All Porcelain Crowns
3. Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM) Crowns

Full Gold Crowns: These crowns are either made from pure gold or metal with a high gold content. These caps are the most conservative and are the least expensive. In addition, gold crowns have a very good track record for being long-lasting crowns. Because gold is soft, these crowns are good if you grind your teeth because grinding against gold is less damaging to your teeth than grinding against other surfaces. However, gold crowns do not look natural.

All Porcelain Crowns: Just as the name suggests, these crowns are made of pure porcelain. There are different types of porcelain, but the general rule is that the more beautiful and strong the porcelain is, the more expensive it is. Porcelain crowns cost about 10% more than the other 2 types of crowns. Porcelain crowns more closely mimic the shade and qualities of natural teeth than any other crowns and are usually used where esthetics are a concern.

Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM) Crowns: PFM crowns are composed of a porcelain outer coat that is fused to a metal foundation. The metal part cements to your tooth while the porcelain part provides good esthetics. They provide decent esthetics, but these crowns sometimes have a tendency to fracture their porcelain coat from the metal beneath.

Why get a crown?

• If a tooth is cracked or brittle and needs to be strengthened.
• If a tooth has had a root canal and needs to be strengthened.
• If a tooth has so much decay that a filling would be too large
• To replace old fillings that are already too large or are breaking down.
• To enhance teeth that are unsightly or if you desire to improve your smile.

So what can I expect?

When you have a crown done it usually takes 2 appointments. At the first appointment, you will get numb and your tooth will be prepared for a crown. We will take an impression of your tooth and then we will make a plastic tooth that we can cement on with temporary cement. You will wear this plastic tooth for 2 weeks. This appointment takes about an hour and a half. At the second appointment, you will not need to be numb. We will take the plastic tooth off and remove any excess temporary cement. After inspecting and adjusting the final crown, we will cement it with a more permanent cement. You can usually eat on the crown immediately after your appointment.