If you have sustained damage to one of your teeth, your dentist may recommend restorative treatment using a dental crown. This ceramic cap can fit over a vulnerable tooth, sealing it from external threats and enhancing its appearance at the same time.
This tool provides a variety of aesthetic, structural, and functional advantages for dental patients, which is why dentists utilize it in their treatments often. Dr. Justin Deckard, a dentist serving patients in Washington, DC, lists five benefits that dental crowns can provide.
How Do Dental Crowns Help My Smile?
Replace Weakened Tooth Enamel
The outer layer of your tooth may wear down over time, leading to the exposure of underlying dentin, which can contain nerves that generate pain when stimulated by external threats. This pain is known as tooth sensitivity and can feel excruciating even if it is intermittent.
If tooth enamel has eroded, it cannot regrow on its own. But your dentist can replace weakened enamel with a dental crown, which can cover exposed dentin and alleviate sensitivity symptoms.
Repair Broken Teeth
Though your teeth are durable, accidents may occur that cause teeth to crack, chip, or fracture. These injuries may disrupt the appearance of your smile and leave teeth vulnerable to infections and other issues. Your dentist can repair tooth breakage using a dental crown, shielding the damage from further harm and creating a more even look to your smile.
Treat Severe Tooth Decay
Your dentist can treat a cavity by drilling the damaged part of the tooth away and filling the resulting hole with composite resin. More advanced tooth decay will need a restorative solution more extensive than a filling. Your dentist can fit a crown over this vulnerable tooth at the end of the procedure to seal it, preserving its health after treatment.
Brighten Discolored Teeth
Dental crowns have cosmetic benefits as well. Dentists construct crowns on a custom basis so that they will look beautiful and natural with the patient’s surrounding teeth. If you notice stains, yellowing, or dullness in one of your teeth, your dental professional may cover it with a crown to give it a brighter and whiter appearance.
Enhance Other Dental Treatments
While dental crowns offer effective treatment on their own, they can also prove useful as part of other dental procedures. For instance, a crown serves as a prosthetic tooth for patients receiving a single dental implant. Crowns will also cover a tooth after root canal therapy, preventing the tooth from being hurt by external threats once the pulp is removed.
Dental Crowns and More Restorative Treatments in Washington, DC
DC Precision Dentistry offers dental crowns and other restorative dental treatments to patients in Washington, DC. Dr. Deckard also specializes in implant, general, and cosmetic dentistry, including teeth whitening services, for patients of all ages. To schedule an appointment with our practice, contact our office by phone at 202.851.7554 or reach a member of our staff online.