What
Are Dental Crowns?
A
dental crown is a prosthetic that fits over your tooth, or a over a dental
implant post. It is often referred to as a “cap.” Custom-made to blend with the
rest of your teeth, this restorative piece acts as a new top piece of your
tooth.
When do I need a Crown on my Tooth?
The foremost indication to crown your tooth would be to restore an extensively damaged tooth i.e. the tooth which has had a very large cavity, a missing cusp, a missing portion or a highly attritioned (worn out) tooth and definitely a posterior tooth which has been root-canal-treated. Most of the above indications do apply aptly to back tooth.
Issues such as a broken tooth (front) edge or a front teeth discoloration can be easily and effectively treated with a composite build up or composite lamination. Even in some situations when the tooth material is not strong enough a root-canal treated front tooth will not require a crown.
Types of Crown
Crown material could be either metal such as a gold platinum alloy, non-precious alloy made of chrome, cobalt, chromium, nickel combinations or metal fused to porcelain, or zirconia. Of all gold still remains the gold standard for posterior teeth while for front teeth, esthetics is of prime importance and recently the zirconia crowns have overtaken the metal fused to porcelain crowns in popularity, because they are so much like natural teeth in appearance. Zirconia crowns offer best in class esthetics and durability.
Reasons
why Crown Comes Off the Tooth?
·
Tooth Decay. A tooth that has a dental crown needs
to be kept clean through brushing, flossing and rinsing.
·
Sticky, Chewy Foods. Intake of
sticky, chewy foods can slowly break the cement seal and work a dental crown
loose.
·
Crown Damage. Our teeth absorb extreme amounts of
force on a daily basis. The metal or porcelain on a crown can wear through,
chip, or fracture.
·
Oral Habits. Bad habits include teeth grinding,
clenching, nail biting, ice chewing, using teeth to open packages and bottles,
chewing on pens, etc.. These forces will break porcelain, wear metal, and
stress the adhesive bond causing the dental crown to loosen over time,.
·
Small/Short Teeth. The shortness is directly
related to a decrease in retentiveness. This creates an issue over time, as the
crown adhesive is working doubly hard to maintain its place on the tooth.
·
Cement Breakdown. If there is any moisture
(saliva or blood) on the tooth upon cementation this can cause a weaker bond to
develop for the cement. This will lead to a loosening of the crown over time.
·
Poor Fit.
Sometimes a tooth is not prepared ideally, an impression of the tooth is
distorted, the lab creates a poor fit to the tooth, or it is not completely
seated on the tooth during cementation.
What
to do when a Crown loosens or comes off?
Dental
crown coming off is a routine dental emergency but usually not a painful one. As
immediate action patients can try to temporarily re-cement by using Fixodent
(denture adhesive), toothpaste, or temporary dental cement from the local drug
store. The best course of action is to see your dentist as soon as you can to
ensure you do not experience any discomfort. Make sure not to swallow the
dental crown, or permanently damage the tooth or crown.Want to know more on tooth crowns or have questions not answered in this article, give us a call at (703)-910-4805 and your dentist at woodbridge smiles will be happy to answer/address your concerns.