Maintaining proper dental hygiene at home is a lifetime commitment, and all it takes is a brief lapse in brushing your teeth for plaque to build up. If you do not see your dentist and have your cavity filled, it will progressively worsen to the point that you will need a full coverage crown.
There are also other situations when your dentist might recommend a crown, such as a damaged tooth that occurred while playing sports or an accident like tripping and falling.
When Do You Need Dental Crowns?
Dental cavities that expand to the point where a root canal procedure is needed often require a crown to go over the tooth for protection.
However, there are a variety of situations when you may need a full coverage crown, including:
* A broken tooth.
* Severe tooth damage.
* A misshapen tooth.
* To attach a dental bridge to the tooth for support.
* Tooth fractures.
You might also want a crown for cosmetic purposes, like a tooth that is discolored or a dental implant that needs restoration for completion.
What are Full Coverage Crowns?
Full coverage crowns are quite common in dentistry, and they are a cap that goes over the tooth. Dental fillings can solve many tooth-related problems, and for the situations they cannot correct, full coverage crowns are often recommended. Another way to describe a crown is that it is a cap for a tooth.
The full coverage crown fits snuggly on the tooth and can be fabricated to match the natural shape of your original tooth. Full coverage crowns help you achieve a number of goals, such as improving your tooth’s:
* Appearance.
* Strength.
* Size.
* Shape.
Full coverage crowns require you to have an impression taken first of the tooth. This impression is often sent to a dental lab that will design and create the crown, but some dental offices have the ability to make crowns in-house.
While waiting for your permanent crown, a temporary crown is placed on the tooth for protection. Once the crown is finished, the dentist removes the temporary crown, ensures that the crown fits well, and then cements the crown in place. The crown will cover the entire visible part of the tooth and offer protection.
How Long Do Full Coverage Crowns Last?
Full coverage crowns are unlikely to last your lifetime, but with the proper care, they can easily last 15 to 30 years. Gold crowns, for example, will last an exceptionally long time, but they are also quite expensive.
When your dentist recommends a crown, they try to save a tooth or restore the appearance. Wear and tear are completely natural, and it will cause your crown to weaken. If you eat a lot of nuts, there is a higher risk of wear because of the hardness of the nuts and pressure. Since everyone has a varying diet and different dental hygiene practices, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact lifespan of your crown.
If you want to extend the life of your full coverage crown, you will need to:
* Maintain your daily oral hygiene with brushing and flossing.
* Reduce your consumption of overly hard foods, like nuts.
* Wear a mouthguard if you clench your jaw or grind your teeth.