Life can be unpredictable, and when that affects your smile, life can be miserable. With a broken tooth, life can be absolutely miserable. Luckily, porcelain crowns can be used to recreate a broken tooth, giving new life to your smile. But How much of your original tooth is necessary for a successful operation? Today, your Newport Beach, CA dentist writes on how this procedure functions.
How Do Crowns Work?
There are many different ways that our teeth can become damaged. Physical trauma can lead to breaks, cracks, or chips. Medical conditions like bulimia and bruxism (the grinding of the teeth) can result in decay or shortening of teeth. With these situations, porcelain crowns are the most common solution.
After the damaged areas of the tooth are removed, we assess how best to replace the tooth utilizing digital imagery. We then send this information to a ceramicist skilled in the design of replacement teeth. The ceramicist often creates a piece that will significantly improve your smile!
How Much Tooth is Needed?
Porcelain crowns are very resilient structures, made to withstand as much or more punishment as a natural tooth. But they require material to bond with. Unfortunately, we often do not have the ability to choose how much of our tooth we have lost.
So, what if too much of the tooth is missing? Crowns work best when up to 75% of the original tooth is lost. If more tooth has been lost, we have the ability to form new structure from the existing tooth, so that the crown adequately bonds.
How Is Structure Built?
The most widely used material for creating a bonding surface for the crown is composite resin. This substance is layered, much like a gum or putty, to the broken tooth. The resin hardens when it dries, and the requisite amount of structure is formed.
Issues can arise when the tooth lacks internal stability. Patients with root canals often see this occur, since the interior portion of the tooth has been removed. If there is not enough structure internally for the tooth to maintain its strength, a traditional crown setup may not be advised.
When this occurs, we might opt for what is called a post and core crown. In this method, a post is cemented within the cavity of the tooth, which forms a stronger bond to the bones structure of the mouth.
No matter the mechanism, we have the ability to recreate a new tooth that can get you back to smiling in no time!
Are You Ready For A Crown?
If you have a broken tooth and want to get back to your old smile, don’t suffer another day. Please give Dr. Hofkes at Balboa Dental Surgery a call at (949)630-0143. Or stop by our office here in Newport Beach, CA!
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