Do I really need a crown?

Cosmetic treatments from a leading practice in Hertfordshire

Crown Treatments are Designed to Help You

There are various conditions in which a Crown treatment would be recommended to you. This usually has to do with the original tooth having a deficiency of some nature.

A Crown overcomes this discrepancy and restores the tooth back to proper aesthetics and functioning. We can carry out all our teeth repair treatments at our Hertford clinic.

Benefits of a Crown:

To structurally support a tooth
To protect the whole tooth
To restore proper functioning of the tooth and other teeth
To look like a tooth, thus restoring the aesthetics
To preserve the remaining tooth tissue
To inhibit bacteria and infections
To cover an implant

If the teeth can benefit from any of the above then this treatment will be recommended. Do I really need a crown or filling?

The diagnosis as to whether a crown is needed or not is usually made after a thorough and comprehensive assessment.

The main aspects that need to be looked at are:

The biological aspect of the tooth. If a tooth is heavily infected by tooth decay, then this will first need to be removed. If the infection has been festering for a time then the resulting cavity will be larger than expected. When more than 50% of the tooth has been lost in some way, it is very much fragile and probably will not sustain itself. In these instances, a crown is recommended.
The structural integrity of the tooth. If the tooth appears to be weakened in any way mostly by loss of tooth tissue then a crown treatment is advised. This can be following large deep fillings or root canal treatment. These unsteady teeth require structural support and protection.
Your bite. If you have a heavy bite or very tonic (overactive) muscles then you may be putting excessive forces onto the biting surfaces of your teeth. Some people may even have detrimental habits such as teeth grinding or clenching. In these instances, you would benefit from a crown on a heavily filled and restored tooth. A crown is better able to dissipate these bite forces so that the whole tooth is taking the pressure as opposed to a small point on the tooth. This prevents future breakage and fractures.
Missing teeth leaving spaces. When teeth are lost, you lose both functioning ability and have an unsightly space. A common treatment is implants or bridges. Implants require a single crown on top. Bridges usually consist of two crowns holding other artificial teeth in between. Hence, a crown treatment might be recommended to cover (restore) the implant or to become part of a bridge.

It is the combined information collected from the clinical examination that results in the diagnosis and treatment plan.

If a plan of action were to include a crown or crowns it would be as a result of two or more of the above contributing factors. Find out more about our dental crown procedure.

Questions patients have about crowns :

Is it painful to have a crown put in your mouth?

There are a number of techniques we use to ensure that you are very comfortable throughout the treatment and subsequent to it.

Any treatment that is recommended for you by our dentists is dependent upon your individual circumstances.

Does a crown hurt more than a filling?

We follow strict protocols to ensure you experience no pain at all. There should be no reason why any treatment should hurt you. It does not matter whether we are doing a filling, a crown or a root canal treatment.

How long is a crown supposed to last?

We normally say approximately 10 years. However, when we carry out any treatment on your teeth we do so in a way that has the longevity of the treatment in mind.

Are dental crowns permanent?

There are many variables that determine how long a particular treatment like crowns lasts. This is because the mouth is a dynamic environment and is in a constant mode of change.

Which dental crown material is best?

In the past crowns have been made of gold alloy, tin alloy, stainless steel, metal-ceramic combinations and various types of all porcelain crowns.

Is a crown necessary after a root canal treatment?

In most instances, we do recommend that a tooth be restored with a crown after having undergone root canal treatment.

Do you need a crown after a root canal on front teeth?

Whether a crown is advised on front teeth or not is dependent upon the amount of natural tooth remaining after the root canal treatment.

Are crowns better than fillings?

Crowns offer a different advantage to fillings. They are both chosen for different reasons. Therefore we cannot say that a crown is necessarily better than a filling or conversely that a filling is better than a crown.