Porcelain Crowns
When your tooth structure becomes weak, or you sustain damage in some other way, porcelain crowns help to preserve your tooth. Made from porcelain and alternatively referred to as a dental cap, crowns go over the top of a diseased or damaged molar tooth. Dr. Srinivasan may also need to place a crown on your tooth after you have had a root canal.
What to Expect When Receiving a Dental Crown
If you have not had an injury to your mouth, tooth sensitivity and/or throbbing pain are often the first indications that something is wrong with your tooth. We encourage you not to ignore these symptoms and to schedule an appointment at our dental practice right away. We will inspect your teeth and gums, take X-rays and a mold of the tooth in question, and decide whether placing a porcelain crown is the best way to treat it.
To ensure that the crown fits properly over your tooth, Dr. Srinivasan prepares the tooth by trimming and filing it down to create a base. While you do lose some of the tooth structure, preparing a tooth for a crown is a more conservative approach than extracting the tooth and placing a dental implant.
After taking an impression of the trimmed tooth, Dr. Srinivasan places a temporary crown. The next step is to send the tooth impression to our laboratory. The technicians then create a permanent crown based on the specific dimensions of your tooth and mouth. You will wear the temporary crown for several weeks while waiting for the laboratory to finish preparing your new porcelain crown.
Caring for Your New Dental Crown
You may experience mild soreness for a few days after receiving a crown, which is completely normal. We encourage you to eat a soft foods diet until the discomfort goes away. Avoid hard foods as much as possible to prevent breaking the crown. It is especially important not to bite into hard foods using your treated tooth, chew on ice, or use the tooth to open packages.
You should care for your oral hygiene just as you usually would after Dr. Srinivasan places a porcelain crown. Be sure to floss daily and do an especially good job on the teeth on either side of the tooth with a crown. If you tend to grind your teeth at night, let Dr. Srinivasan know before undergoing the procedure.
Please contact us to learn more about porcelain crowns in Huntsville, AL, or schedule an appointment to review any new oral health concerns.
