Dental Crowns – Lakewood, CO
Top Your Teeth with Beautiful Caps
However strong they might be, teeth don’t heal themselves when they suffer harm. A decayed or damaged tooth, in fact, will only get worse without outside help. It may even lower your quality of life. Fortunately, there’s a way to repair such pearly whites – dental crowns! As provided by Dedicated Dentistry, these items work to protect your smile and restore its looks. To learn more about them, keep reading or call our office today.
What is a Dental Crown?
Simply put, a dental crown is a “cap” of sorts for a weakened tooth. When placed by a qualified dentist, it protects, covers, and restores the treated area with durable material. The crown’s substance can thus range from metals like gold to enamel-colored porcelain.
Due to how it works, a dental crown is ideal for patients with one (or more) of the following:
- A tooth that’s greatly worn down or broken
- Severely discolored or misshapen teeth
- Tooth decay that a filling can’t treat
- Teeth that just underwent root canal therapy
- A weak smile that needs extra support to prevent fractures
The Dental Crown Process
For most dental practices, crafting and placing a crown takes two appointments. We at Dedicated Dentistry, however, work differently. CEREC technology lets us design, fabricate, and place crowns in just a single visit. That said, this one appointment still involves a multi-step process.
First, you’ll consult Dr. Henry on your crown treatment. This process involves telling him your smile goals, medical history, procedure questions, etc. By doing so, he’ll understand how to proceed with your care.
When the consultation is done, our team will prep your tooth for its crown. This step is notable for removing bits of your enamel, ensuring the prosthetic will fit well. It’ll also mean taking digital impressions of your mouth. Once we’ve taken these pictures, we’ll use computers to design and create the custom-made crown.
With the permanent crown ready, you’ll be ready for its placement. With that done, we’ll polish the prosthetic, make final adjustments, and let you enjoy your new smile.
The Benefits of Getting a Dental Crown
As referenced before, a damaged tooth gets worse if left untreated. A dental crown, though, can prevent complications and provide benefits like:
- A Great-Looking Smile: When working with visible teeth, we place crowns made of tooth-colored porcelain. So, you can expect results that blend seamlessly with the rest of your smile.
- Tooth Protection: A crown covers a tooth’s damaged area, protecting your pearly white. As such, it’ll keep issues like tooth infections or a need for a root canal at bay.
- Improved Comfort & Chewing: A decayed or damaged tooth will often feel jagged and sensitive. With a crown, though, its surface will be more comfortable and help you chew food.
- Long-Lasting Effects: Given proper oral care, a dental crown can last 15 years or more.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Crowns
In many ways, dental crowns are one of the simplest dental treatments. You take a tooth that’s been damaged and cover it up, easy. However, as with any dental treatment, understanding the finances involved can be a little complicated.
Thankfully, we’re here to talk you through everything you’d like to know about the cost of dental crowns. Here’s some information that could help you fit the restorations into your budget.
Factors that Affect the Cost of Dental Crowns
While it would certainly make things simple, it’s unfortunately not possible to tell you what your dental crown would cost without understanding your unique circumstances. That’s because there are several variables that can affect its price.
There is of course the material used in the dental crown itself, like whether you’re using ceramic of PFM. You should also factor in any preliminary procedures that will precede the restoration, like a root canal.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are a common, incredibly effective procedure for dealing with a variety of issues. Their medical importance means that they’re generally going to have around 50% of their cost covered by your dental plan, so long as they’re demonstrated to be necessary. That said, nothing is for sure until we talk with your dental plan.
Other Options for Making Dental Crowns Affordable
Even if you don’t have insurance, you shouldn’t have to go without necessary medical care. For one, we work with KLEER to offer our patients an in-house membership plan, one that can serve as an alternative to insurance. For either a monthly or annual fee, you can get 20% off of all of the services that you receive from us.
We also accept financing through CareCredit, which offers six-month-no-interest loans to patients who qualify based on a credit check. With all of these options available to you, you have plenty of options to pay for dental care.
Dental Crowns FAQs
Are you thinking of getting dental crowns in Lakewood? If so, you’re on the right track – these dental caps protect your teeth from further decay! Still, maybe you have a few lingering concerns about them. That’s only fair; you want to ensure they suit you. However, the Dedicated Dentistry team can help: we’ve listed the answers to popular dental crown questions below. Please read them and see what our prosthetics can do. Otherwise, feel free to call us for additional details.
What Happens If You Wait Too Long to Get a Dental Crown?
When your dentist suggests a crown procedure, you should get it soon. Putting treatment off any further will cause adverse health effects.
Remember: A tooth that needs a crown is already vulnerable. Left alone, it’ll be further exposed to chewing forces, food debris, and bacteria. Its pre-existing decay or damage will then slowly worsen. With enough time, the tooth may be compromised enough to need a root canal or extraction.
To avoid these outcomes, getting a crown soon after a dentist recommends one is best. Doing so lets you preserve your natural tooth and avoid expensive procedures.
Do Dental Crowns Get Cavities?
Crowns themselves never develop cavities; they’re not made of enamel. The teeth underneath them, though, still can.
In reality, a crowned tooth has the same risk of decay as an uncrowned one. Bad oral hygiene can let plaque form around the surrounding gumline. From there, bacteria can slip beneath the crown and harm the underlying enamel.
Of course, it’s possible to prevent cavities in crowned teeth. You just need to practice good oral habits. Namely, brush twice daily, floss once daily, and see your dentist often. These actions will reduce your cavity risk and keep your teeth healthy.
How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?
Dental crowns can actually last quite a while. On average, their lifespan tends to be five to 15 years. However, they’re able to function even longer when given proper care.
All that said, a given crown’s longevity will depend on various factors. Many of these relate to your lifestyle – things like diet, oral hygiene, bad oral habits, etc. Others, however, are less within your control. (For example, crowns on front teeth last longer than those on molars.)
How Do You Know When a Dental Crown Needs to Be Replaced?
The best way to know if a crown needs replacing is to see your dentist. They can visually examine the relevant tooth or take dental X-rays. Even so, warning signs can indicate a crown is near its end. Such symptoms include the following:
- Tooth Pain – An aching crowned tooth may have a cavity. In that case, its crown must be removed for treatment. The dentist can then evaluate whether the cap should be replaced.
- Instability – Should your crown get loose, especially from chewing something sticky, contact your dentist.
- A Worse Appearance – A chipped or discolored crown can affect confidence. This is enough reason for replacement.