Dental Crowns in Fort Myers, FL
A tooth that has damage from decay or trauma should be protected to keep it from breaking when chewing food. Instead of an extraction, a dentist can restore teeth by treating and placing dental crowns over them to save them.
When are Crowns Necessary?
It is common for dentists to place crowns over teeth after root canals or breaking in accidents. A root canal involves removing tooth decay from within the tooth, then filling and sealing it to prevent further damage. However, the structure of the tooth is weak, so one of our dentists at Fort Myers Dental Arts will put a crown on the tooth to protect it.
Also, the crown will restore the function of the tooth. Many root canals take place on the chewing teeth, which are the premolars and molars. If you were to continue using the tooth after the root canal, then it would eventually break because the tooth is weak due to the decay and work that our dentist in Fort Myers, FL performed.
Installing a Crown
Before getting a root canal, one of our dentists at Fort Myers Dental Arts will order your crown from a dental laboratory. You will have the choice of:
- Porcelain crowns
- Porcelain fused to metal crowns
- Gold crowns
- Zirconia crowns
Each of the crowns resembles a natural tooth, with porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, and zirconia crowns using a shade of white that best matches your natural teeth. If the crown is covering a premolar or molar, then the stronger materials, the zirconia, gold, or porcelain fused to metal crowns, can withstand the pressure from the chewing teeth.
Shaping the Tooth
Our dentist will use a drill with an attached bur to remove the temporary filling. He or she will also shape the tooth along the top and sides so that the crown fits over it. Finally, our dentist that is near you in Fort Myers, FL adds dental cement to the tooth and places the crown over it.
He or she will then use a curing light to harden the cement so that the crown is permanently attached to your tooth. Taking care of dental crowns by not eating exceptionally hard foods, like nuts or ice, and brushing them as you would your natural teeth can help them last for up to 15 years.