Crown Types Used For Dental Applications
It can be easy to overlook the many dental applications in which dental crowns are used. A crown can be made of several different materials, such as porcelain or stainless steel, depending on the reason for the crown's placement. Here are a few types of dental applications and the crown types that are usually selected:
Dental Implants
A dental implant is a prosthetic titanium device that replaces the roots of a tooth that has been lost. The device is inserted into your jawbone and left in place to gradually heal. Still, once the implant heals, the replacement of the lost tooth is not yet complete. The implant needs to be covered by an implant crown.
A connector or abutment is added to the implant. and then a crown is attached. The crown restores your ability to easily chew your food, and it improves the overall appearance of your teeth. The implant crown will likely be made of porcelain or porcelain-over-metal to ensure that it is tooth-colored.
Before an implant crown can be created, a mold of your mouth must be obtained to ensure that the crown fits properly. Most implant crowns require a few weeks before placement to allow the crowns to be fashioned in a dental laboratory and then forwarded to the dental office for installation. However, offices that use CAD/CAM equipment can take a digital image of your mouth and fashion a crown while you wait.
Crowns for Children
If a child still has his or her primary teeth, a tooth-colored crown is unlikely to be prescribed for a tooth restoration. Instead, the dentist will frequently use stainless steel. The stainless crowns can be molded over the tooth by the dentist, so no laboratory development is required. Additionally, stainless crowns tend to cost less than porcelain and porcelain-over-metal crowns. Since the crowns will come out when the primary teeth are lost, there is no need to make a large monetary investment. Most importantly, stainless crowns protect the crown of the natural tooth, regardless of price and color.
Crowns for Fixed Bridges
A fixed bridge can replace one or more lost teeth. Two bridge crowns are used to hold the device in place. Each bridge crown covers an abutment tooth that borders the site of the lost tooth. Bridge crowns are usually made of tooth-colored material, such as porcelain or porcelain-over-metal.
For more information about crowns and their uses, schedule an appointment with a dentist at a dental office like Serene Smiles Dentistry in your area.