Crowns

What is a crown?

A crown is an artificial tooth cap that’s permanently sealed on top of an existing root structure, like a dental implant or a natural tooth root. 

Once in place, a crown covers up the entirety of your tooth above the gumline and feels and functions just like a natural tooth. Shah & Velilla DDS offer same-day CEREC® crowns, which use a material that isn’t just strong and durable, but has a similar color and translucency as your tooth enamel, so your crown will look just like a natural tooth as well.

What is a crown used for?

Shah & Velilla DDS might recommend a crown for a variety of reasons, like:

• Restoring a tooth that’s suffered significant damage or decay
  
• Replacing a tooth that’s discolored, misshapen, or otherwise unsightly
  
• Protecting a damaged tooth from any further harm

Crowns are also frequently used to restore your tooth’s strength and structure after a root canal. And when combined with a dental implant, a crown can help replace a missing tooth.

What is the process for getting a crown?

First, your dentist uses a local anesthetic to numb the tooth that’s going to receive the crown. Next, he “prepares” the tooth and makes room for the crown by shaving off some of the tooth’s enamel.

Once your tooth is prepared, he takes an impression of your mouth that’s used to create your crown. In most dental practices, your dentist then sends your impression to a lab that takes weeks to fabricate your crown. Meanwhile, you wait around with a temporary crown until you go all the way back to the dentist’s office for a second appointment to get it placed. 

Shah & Velilla DDS  takes all the time and hassle out of your crown fabrication with a system called CEREC. With CEREC, your dentist takes an impression of your mouth with an intraoral camera. That information is sent to a computer, where your dentist designs your crown virtually. When he’s done, he “prints” it out on an in-office milling machine that carves your crown from a small block of high-quality compressed ceramic. 

Once your crown has been milled, your dentist checks that it properly fits your bite and seals it in place with dental cement. The whole process takes less than an hour and is done in a single office visit. 

To learn more about how Shah & Velilla DDS can improve your smile with a crown, call the office, or book a visit online today.