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If you have an old, large filling in one of your back molars, chances are pretty good that the day will come when it needs to be replaced by a dental crown. Fillings, particularly the amalgam fillings that were so common in past decades, tend to fail over time. They lift away from the tooth, and they can also cause fine cracks to appear in the tooth.
If you don’t address this, bacteria can get into the tooth, settle into the tooth root and cause an infection. The good news is that dental crowns are a great way to preserve the health of your tooth and save you from needing a root canal—or even worse, an extraction.
By visiting our Dee Why, NSW clinic on a regular basis for biannual examinations and cleans, we can keep an eye on large fillings, taking care of them when they begin to fail—and before you need treatment beyond on a dental crown.
Dental crowns are often referred to as tooth “caps,” which makes sense since they sit on top of a prepared tooth much as a cap sits on your head. Cemented into place permanently, they restore the function of your tooth so it can withstand the pressure of chewing.
Crowns are made to look just like your natural teeth, so only you and your dentist will be aware you have a crown. With today’s porcelain crowns, there are none of the black margins at the base of the crown as is often seen with crowns that used metal.
Crowns are a long-lasting tooth restoration that should serve you well for a number of years as long as you take good care of your oral health.
As mentioned, often patients need a dental crown in a back molar that has had a large filling. Because too much of the tooth structure has already been removed, replacing an old filling is not an option.
Other reasons people need dental crowns is to repair a broken tooth, to cover a tooth that has an odd or unattractive shape or to provide a more aesthetic look to a tooth that is stained but resistant to teeth bleaching.
We invite you to call our Dee Why, NSW dental office to find out more about dental crowns and how they can restore your oral health, give you full chewing function and make your smile beautiful again. We look forward to seeing you.
