Teeth are one of the few structures inside the body that cannot regenerate after sustaining damage. That’s why your dental team at Dr. George Salem and Associates in Braintree, MA, offer crowns as a way of repairing teeth that need to be restored to their function and appearance. Here, you’ll learn about how crowns work to replace damaged natural teeth while keeping the roots intact.
What are crowns?
A crown, sometimes called a cap, is a dental restoration used frequently to repair and protect a tooth that still has functional roots, but has sustained too much outer damage to function on its own. Crowns are tooth-shaped but hollow in the middle in order to fit over the top of a natural tooth that has been prepared by your Braintree dentist. Crowns are typically made of a porcelain material that is both strong and attractive; dental laboratories use the measurements sent to them by your Braintree dentist to shape, polish, and paint a lifelike tooth replacement that will be attached using a bonding cement, allowing you to eat and smile normally.
Why are crowns used?
There are several instances in which your Braintree dentist utilizes a crown. They are the finishing touch after a root canal is completed; this is usually due to extensive decay removal that leaves the affected tooth unusable otherwise. Crowns can also be used instead of traditional filling material if a cavity is larger than average. When an entire natural tooth is missing, a restoration called a bridge fills in the gap with a solid crown that is placed between two normal crowns; the teeth on either side of the gap are crowned to reinforce them.
If one or more of your teeth might need a crown, contact Dr. George Salem and Associates in Braintree, MA, to schedule a consultation. So many of our patients have benefited from this versatile restoration; you might be one of them!