Dental Crowns, when cemented in place fully replace the visible portion of a tooth but rely on your original root structure for support. Crowns have often been referred to as "caps" because they form a cap over your tooth. They can be made of porcelain, gold, metal alloys, or a combination.

• Restoring a tooth weakened by decay
• Restoring a tooth badly worn down
• To hold together parts of a cracked tooth
• Covering misshapen teeth
• Covering badly stained teeth
• Holding a bridge in place
• To cover an implant with a tooth
• Large filings have weakened a tooth

Crowns generally require two visits. During your first visit your dentist typically will take X-Rays to make sure that is no infection or damage to the tooth's dentin. If there is, you may be sent for a root canal before your crown work can proceed.

Your will receive a local anesthetic so that your dental work will be pain free. Your dentist will remove tooth material to make room for the new crown to sit. In some cases, a resin filling material may be added to your tooth to give it enough structure to support the crown.

Dental impressions of your mouth will be taken and sent to a Dental Laboratory. They will construct your crown and check it's function using models made from the impressions. Your crown is generally ready in about a few days.

While waiting for your crown to be made, your dentist will fabricate an acrylic "temporary crown" on the tooth. It will be secured with a temporary cement. Care must be taken not to chew sticky or excessively hard foods while the temporary crown is in place. In addition, dental floss must be passed through the spaces between the teeth rather than pulled out at the top.

When your crown is ready, it will be cemented in place. Your dentist will then make any final bite adjustments that may be required by removing small amounts of procelain or metal from the crown.

Care of your new crown is similar to your regular teeth. Flossing is very important to keep the underlying gum and tooth structure healthy.

If your new crown was placed on a tooth that did not have a root canal, you may experience some initial tooth sensitivity. Your dentist may suggest some special toothpaste designed to help reduce sensitivity.