Dental Crowns and Bridges In Cibolo
If you have a damaged or missing tooth in Cibolo or Schertz, a dental crown or bridge from Dr. Patel may be just what you need to restore your smile and get back to optimal health. With crowns & bridges, it is possible to fully restore your smile in a few quick appointments at Cibolo Family Smiles. To get started, schedule your consultation with Dr. Patel today!
What Is A Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a restorative procedure used to cover up and protect damaged, decayed, or broken teeth. A crown is, essentially, a false tooth built out of a porcelain ceramic material. During treatment, your remaining tooth structure is trimmed down, then the crown is bonded in place over your tooth, which covers it up all the way down to the gumline.
By covering up all of your remaining tooth structure, a dental crown helps protect your enamel from further damage and decay and ensures that your tooth remains strong and healthy. Most commonly, crowns are used to restore teeth that are seriously decayed or to restore a tooth after a root canal. They are also commonly used to repair teeth that are broken by an oral injury, and are occasionally used for cosmetic purposes if other treatments are not a good option.
The Dental Crown Placement Process
The crown process usually takes two appointments over a period of a few weeks. At your first appointment, your tooth must be prepared for the crown. Dr. Patel will clean and numb the treatment area, then remove damaged or decayed enamel using specialized tools. Next, he will shape your remaining tooth structure into a stable platform onto which your crown can be attached.
Impressions and images of your teeth will be taken, and this information is used to create your crown. Dr. Patel will bond a temporary crown in place to protect your tooth until your permanent crown is complete.
When your permanent crown arrives at our office, you’ll come back for your last appointment. Dr. Patel will remove your temporary crow, check the fit of the permanent restoration, and make any adjustments, if necessary. Then, he will bond the crown to your tooth using dental cement to complete the procedure.
How Are Crowns Related To Dental Bridges?
Crowns are a key part of a dental bridge. Bridges use two crowns, which attach to two healthy “abutment teeth” to restore one or more adjacent missing teeth. These crowns suspend a false tooth (pontic) between one another, literally “bridging” the gap where your missing tooth used to be.
The process of getting a dental bridge is quite similar to having two crowns placed. Both of the abutment teeth will be trimmed, then impressions will be taken of your teeth and sent to a dental lab. You’ll be sent home with two temporary crowns or a temporary bridge while your permanent bridge is built.
When you come back to our office for your final appointment, Dr. Patel will check your permanent bridge to make sure it fits properly, then attach it to your abutment teeth with dental cement to complete the procedure.
How long do dental crowns last?
Partially, this depends on the location of the crown, the skills of your dentist, and how well you care for your new tooth. Overall, though, most porcelain dental crowns can be expected to last between 10-20 years.
Your crown may loosen or wear out eventually, since it’s being used as a natural tooth and will experience wear and tear from eating, chewing, and biting. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to see a dentist like Dr. Patel every six months for a quick teeth cleaning and checkup. Dr. Patel can check your crowns and your natural teeth to make sure your smile is in great shape.
To keep your crown healthy, you should also eat a healthy diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and make good lifestyle choices like quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption. These steps can help reduce your risk of tooth decay below the crown, which will result in premature crown failure.
does it hurt to get a crown?
Not at all. Getting a dental crown does require you to have your remaining enamel trimmed with a dental drill, but no major oral surgery is required.
Your tooth may be a little bit sore or sensitive after treatment, but you should not experience any significant pain or discomfort after your tooth has been prepared. If you’re in a lot of pain, you should contact the team at Cibolo Family Smiles for a follow-up.
what if i don't get a crown?
This depends on your situation. If you need a crown because your tooth is decayed or damaged and you need to restore it, but you choose not to get treatment, you’ll experience serious oral health issues. In contrast, if you need a cosmetic crown but choose not to get treatment right away, your oral health will not be affected.
Let’s focus on the first situation. If you choose not to get a crown when a dentist like Dr. Patel recommends that you get a crown to protect a damaged or decayed tooth, the condition and health of your tooth will continue to get worse.
Eventually, the tooth will become infected as bacteria reproduce, destroy the outer surfaces of the tooth, and get into the tooth “pulp” that keeps the tooth alive. If this happens, you will need a root canal to clean out the tooth and preserve it.
But if you don’t get a root canal, the tooth will die. This will be an extremely painful process, since the nerves in the tooth will be attacked by bacteria. You will likely experience a very intense, prolonged toothache. When the tooth dies, it may fall out, or it will need to be extracted by a dentist.
In rare circumstances, choosing not to get a crown could actually put your life at risk. If you have a serious tooth infection that spreads into the rest of your body, this is known as “sepsis” and can damage or destroy a variety of organs in your body. For all of these reasons and more, you should always get a crown if Dr. Patel recommends the treatment at Cibolo Family Smiles. For professional crowns or bridges in Cibolo, Schertz, or nearby communities, contact us today!