WHAT ARE CROWNS?

Over time, your teeth can get damaged for a variety of reasons, like tooth decay (cavities), injuries or grinding. Your teeth can lose their shape or size. Dental crowns are essentially tooth-shaped “caps” that can be placed over your tooth and restores the tooth’s shape, size, strength and appearance. A tooth that has been damaged by root canal, grinding, decay or fracture is likely to break from the stress of daily use. But a crown strengthens your tooth by providing 360 degrees of coverage that it needs.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CROWNS?

Crowns can be made in different material depending on what the Dentist recommends for the tooth and what is required, and of course keeping in mind your personal preferences. Gold crowns are typically reserved for when there’s limited space to work with and we need a thin but durable crown. Porcelain crowns can be full porcelain (Emax or Zirconia) or fused with metal (PFM). Most typically, with the increased durability and strength of porcelain material, crowns are made in full porcelain at Pacific Dental Centre to allow for ideal esthetics and color matching!

WHAT DOES A PORCELAIN CROWN DO?

A crown is meant to provide coverage for a tooth that is likely to break or is too damaged to be restored with a traditional filling. As crowns cover the entire tooth surface with porcelain, they can also be placed on teeth that are an esthetic concern, providing a renewed shape, size or shade. When you receive a crown, you will notice it effectively improves your tooth condition by:

• Helping strengthen a heavily-restored tooth to prevent future fracture
• Restoring loss of tooth structure from heavy grinding
• Improving tooth aesthetics
• Relieving pain from any damage or fractures

WHAT TO EXPECT

Crowns are prepared and delivered in the course of 2 appointments. The length of the appointment is determined by the Dentist and depends on the number of teeth being worked on (among other factors). Typically the first appointment at Pacific Dental Centre is about 1.5 hours, and the second appointment ranges from 30min-1hour. There’s a 1-2 week gap between these appointments which allows for the fabrication of the crown(s). Here’s what to expect in each visit:

FIRST APPOINTMENT

At your first appointment at Pacific Dental Centre in Vancouver, we will administer full local anesthesia for the tooth being treated. The dentist will then prepare the tooth conservatively (1.5 to 2mm to be exact!) to create room for the crown. After careful evaluation of the shape and contour, an impression of the affected tooth will be taken, which will allow the lab ceramist to create and calibrate a porcelain crown that looks and feels like your natural tooth.
A temporary crown is created and placed to protect the tooth while the lab fabricated the final crown . While you’re waiting for your crown cementation appointment, you’ll want to avoid sticky and hard foods near the treated tooth, so the temporary crown stays put. The purpose of temporary crowns is to protect you from sensitivity and keep the gums from rolling over the prepared margins of the tooth.

SECOND APPOINTMENT

During your second visit, the temporary crown will be removed and the final crown will be tried in and examined for perfection. We may take a dental X-ray to ensure quality fit and coverage. Once the fit and esthetics have been approved by you, the crown will be cement on your tooth. Any excess cement will be removed. We will take a photo of your new crown and smile for our records, and you’ll be provided with all the necessary instruction to take proper care of your new crown!