A Porcelain Crown is just that, a crown, says a South East London dentist. We all associate a crown as a piece of headgear worn by a king or queen and that is exactly what a tooth crown is, a piece of head covering. That can mean a top crown that is made to replace a part of a tooth that is damaged by a crack or even worse, a chipped tooth. The advances in dentistry science have made it possible to take the top and sides off a tooth, and then simply replace the ground down part of the tooth with the crown. This method is also used to cover the front of a tooth in whole, which can also repair and hold a crack, or cover up a discoloured tooth or a chip. In a lot of cases it can also slightly reduce gaps and cover misaligned teeth. Using porcelain as a material for the crown has a lot of advantages for the technician who makes them to order. Allowing the technician to build up the thickness by layering the porcelain makes the false tooth look more realistic, it also allows the whiteness to be controlled so that it fits in with the other teeth that will lie below, and to the side of the crown. The porcelain is a clay material and when baked it sets rock hard, which makes it easy to cement onto the existing tooth and hard wearing enough to last many years, usually without any or little maintenance. The procedure is in two sittings generally; at the first the dentist prepares the tooth to take the crown, which may mean grinding and roughing the surface. Then an impression is taken and the crown made. At the second sitting the tooth is cleaned and the crown fitted in place.

Dental crowns, also commonly known as caps, are restorations that protect teeth that have been damaged. Common dental injuries include cracked, chipped or broken teeth that can be the source of great pain. The aim of the crown is to cover the entire tooth that protrudes above the gum line in order to protect it from further damage and cover the exposed and painful dental nerve.

Dental crowns are not always the first option because they involve the removal of otherwise healthy enamel prior to fixing and the dentist will usually try to repair the damage with dental bonding. In many cases the damage may be too severe to repair just with bonding and a crown will be necessary.

Modern crowns are made from a variety of materials but the most commonly they are manufactured from metal, porcelain or a combination of the two. All-porcelain crowns are considered to be the most appealing option because they are the most visually discreet, although some patients do choose all metal or even gold crowns.

The manufacturing procedure of crowns has changed dramatically in the last few years as South East London dentists adopt the latest technology to aid the process. Dentists have utilised the latest digital x-ray technology and computer imaging to produce incredibly accurate crowns milled from a single piece of porcelain. This new technology represents the future of dentistry and has significantly reduced appointment and waiting times.

A well-fitted crown should last between 15 and 20 years before needing replacing and the cost will depend upon the choice of material and severity of the damage suffered by the tooth.

As a practical solution to an unattractive and sometimes painful dental problem, a dental crown is hard to beat. A well designed and fitted dental crown is an elegant and aesthetically pleasing protective barrier against further dental damage or simply a restorative cosmetic device used to improve the smile. Either way, dental crowns serve an extremely important function in modern cosmetic dentistry.

A dental crown itself is a porcelain tooth cap that sits over the top of the damaged tooth, covering all parts of the tooth exposed above the gum line. It is cemented into position using composite resin bonding and acts as an enamel-like protective barrier against further damage or decay. Crowns are commonly used to replace parts of cracked or broken teeth; teeth that suffer from dental decay and unstable fillings; and teeth that have recently been treated with a root canal. In all these cases, the crown is the last stage of the restorative treatment.

Modern crowns are usually made from porcelain, with some metal still being used in non-visible crowns. It is now possible to manufacture the crown from a single piece of porcelain in a matter of minutes. This not only increases the strength of the crown itself as there are no fragile joints, but it also reduces treatment and production time helping to keep costs down.

Make an appointment with a South East London dentist if you think you have a tooth that could benefit from a dental crown. It could mean an end to the pain of dental trauma and the restoration of your smile in one straightforward procedure.