Glasgow dentist Dr Brendan Murphy explains what a dental crown is.
A dental crown is a protective restoration. Imagine a hat for a tooth. You still have your tooth underneath the crown. We can use gold posts or glass fibre posts, there are different types of posts which cement into a root, above or below gum level. Ceramic crowns are highly cosmetic restorations. Pressed porcelains are being used now to create more translucency in the crowns we are providing patients with. Crowns are a very good way of making a tooth look good. As well as protecting what is underneath.
What are the benefits of a dental crown?
The main benefits are you get to keep the tooth. It’s a long term restoration. And it’s a much better alternative to replacing fillings time and again. If you replace fillings more than a few times obviously you are weakening the tooth structure.
When you have damaged your teeth or lost tooth structure, perhaps due to tooth decay or a dental fracture, the best choice of dental restoration is often a dental crown.
These days dental crowns are usually made of porcelain and are attached to metal or ceramic posts.
The cosmetic appearance of your crown is particularly important when the damaged tooth we are restoring is in the front of your mouth. That is particularly why we use porcelain and our talented dental labs are very good at matching porcelain crowns to your existing teeth.
Had old crowns replaced by Robert, he was very patient and really good at dealing with nervous patient like myself. The technician Alastair and other staff at the practice were very friendly and helpful as well. Had an accident years ago and ended up with four crowns on my front teeth, with a post in each of them. The old crowns had metal in them and through years were showing a dark line between my gum and the crowns.
My dentist wasn't sure if he could do it because of the posts, so I googled and found the Appletree practice, and was convinced by the positive reviews, case photos, and the clear pricing on their website. It has turned out to be a good decision and I'm happy with my new metal-free crowns now. I was very nervous while getting the dental treatments, because of having to cope with the flashbacks from the past accident, Robert's professional, friendly and relaxed approach really made a difference for me.
Yue, Glasgow dental patient
There are various situations when your dentist might recommend a crown. These include:
When you attend our Glasgow practice, your dentist will prepare your tooth by removing quite a bit of the outer surface while leaving a strong inner core for the crown. Once your dentist is satisfied with the shape of your prepared tooth, he will take a dental impression and this will then go to our dental laboratory who will prepare your crown with due attention to shape, shade and your natural bite.
We work with very talented laboratory technicians in Glasgow who may well show you the process when you take along your dental impression. You can see one of them at work in the video on our cosmetic dentistry services page.
You should allow for at least two visits to Appletree. The first visit will cover the preparation of your tooth, your dental impression as well as possibly fitting a temporary crown. We will fit your permanent crown during the second visit.
It won't hurt. In most cases we will use a local anaesthetic and you will not feel any difference from having a filling. Remember as with all forms of cosmetic dentistry here in our Glasgow practice, nervous dental patients have the option of dental sedation.
Check our cosmetic dentistry prices along with finance plans and options to spread your dental costs.
We have many before and after examples in the cosmetic dentistry gallery.
Porcelain crowns form part of the Cosmetic Dentistry Services available in Glasgow from Appletree Dental Care.