Dental Crowns in Annapolis, MD

Dental Crown Procedure and Materials Used:

Dental crowns consist of different materials. The most effective crowns are made of gold materials. To produce a more natural look, crowns are made of porcelain and sometimes, a combination of two materials is used to get a crown with the required force and natural look. A dentist uses temporary fillings to restore a fractured tooth to its regular shape. The dentist will then carefully remove a thin layer around the tooth to create a space for the crown, which will then slide over the top like a hand into a glove. To make sure the glove is exactly the right shape, the dentist makes an impression of your tooth using a putty-like material in a mouth shaped tray. Using this rubber mold a technician creates a model of your tooth. A crown is prepared to correctly fit over the top of the model and can be sculpted and smoothed to fit it precisely. All that remains is to take the crown off the model and slide it over the original tooth in your mouth using a strong cement to hold it in place.

How Long Does a Dental Crown Procedure Take?

We normally recommend two visits to our dental office, Annapolis Dental Associates. In the first appointment, the tooth is made or designed to hold the crown. The tooth is then prepared so that the polished crown has room to slide over it like a glove. An impression is taken of the prepared tooth and a temporary crown is then placed. The impression is used by a lab technician to make a pattern on which the crown will be fabricated. In the second appointment, the temporary crown is taken out and cement is placed in the original crown. The crown is then cemented to the prepared tooth and the tooth is now restored to its healthy and functioning state.