Natural Smiles • Jan 17, 2017
Many people are familiar with dental crowns that cover damaged teeth or teeth that have had a root canal procedure. Did you know that a dental implant crown may be your best solution for a missing tooth?
About Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are used in a variety of ways to restore your mouth’s function and appearance.
If a previous dental restoration, like a large filling, happens to fail, Dr. Gill might decide that the best option is to cover and protect the tooth with a hollow “cap” – a dental crown.
Historically, crowns have been made from a variety of materials. In the past, most crowns were made of porcelain fused over metal. The metal added additional strength to the restoration, but often revealed a dark edge at the gumline.
Thanks to advances in materials science, Dr. Gill is able to use dental crowns that are all-porcelain but still just as strong as the porcelain-metal types. And, today’s porcelain presents just as life-like an appearance as your own teeth!
But not all dental crowns are hollow. A dental bridge, for instance, consists of two hollow crowns with one or more solid crowns in between. The hollow crowns fit over neighboring teeth to anchor the bridge, while the solid crown or crowns “fill the gap” where one or more teeth are missing.
A solid crown, supported by a dental implant, is the ideal restoration for a single missing tooth.
Dental Implants
Instead of using the neighboring teeth to support a restoration, dental implants uses the strength of your jaw.
A very strong but tiny metal screw is inserted into the bone. Once the bone has fused to the implant– a process called osseointegration – the implant is essentially a part of your jaw and should last as long as you live.
Once the implant is ready, a solid dental crown is affixed to the implant. And there are major advantages to an implant-supported dental crown.
One is the no neighboring, healthy teeth have to be modified, as is the case with a dental bridge. The teeth that anchor the bridge have to be shaved down to accept the hollow crowns.
The second advantage is that the pressure of chewing is transmitted through the crown, into the implant, and to the underlying bone. That stimulates the bone and helps keep it healthy.
Another advantage is that implants return nearly 100 percent of your chewing power, far more than any other dental restoration.
And a fourth advantage is that, should the crown need to be repaired or restored, Dr. Gill can easily detach and replace it.
Don’t Live With a Missing Tooth!
Schedule a consultation and examination with Dr. Gill by calling Natural Smiles at 502-804-5420. You can also use our convenient online form. Dr. Gill will carefully evaluate whether a dental implant and restoration is the right solution for you. If so, she’ll refer you to a trusted oral surgeon for the implant placement.
When your implant is ready, Dr. Gill will create and place a dental crown.