3 Helpful Uses for Dental Crowns

The ancient Etruscans used gold crowns to protect damaged teeth in addition to using them as a flashy way of showing off one’s wealth. For thousands of years, gold was the crown material of choice, but over the last 100 years or so, porcelain, zirconia, and porcelain-metal hybrid crowns have become more popular, due to their ability to blend in subtly with the surrounding teeth. Dental crowns are the second-most frequently placed dental restoration after dental fillings and with good reason: these simple dental restorations have a wide range of different applications in both restorative and cosmetic dentistry.

1. They Can Replace Your Missing Tooth

If you’ve lost one of your permanent teeth, dental implants might be your best bet to replace that missing dentition. These innovative tooth replacements have two main parts: the implant post, which resembles a screw, and the dental crown, which is affixed to the implant post to replace the full tooth. Implant dental crowns are stable, look indistinguishable from surrounding teeth, and are designed to last a lifetime.

2. They Can Protect Your Damaged Tooth

A broken tooth isn’t just a cosmetic flaw. If not repaired, broken teeth can cause further damage to the tongue, inner cheeks, and neighboring teeth. Protecting compromised teeth that are broken or that have had extensive restorative work, such as root canal therapy, is the best bet for protecting your oral health. A dental crown will help the tooth stay sturdy, safe, functional, and protected. Crowns are great for protecting damaged teeth, because the root of the tooth is still in place which serves as an anchor for the crown.

3. They Can Hide Your Unsightly Teeth

In the early days of cosmetic dentistry, dental crowns (popularly known as “caps”) were the most popular way of achieving an attractive smile. These days, people with smaller cosmetic smile flaws like moderate tooth stains or a chipped tooth can rely on smaller cosmetic treatments such as teeth whitening or bonding. However, serious or severe cosmetic problems, like broken teeth or intrinsic stains that cannot be removed via teeth whitening, might be best addressed by capping those unattractive teeth with dental crowns.