Who Is a Candidate for Dental Crowns
There are many different options to consider for effective restorative and cosmetic dentistry treatment. Some of these treatments can achieve a great deal by simply doing very little, while others can restore the overall health of a tooth or a patient's mouth. For serious problems with tooth damage or tooth decay, the best option is the latter sort of treatment, and one great option for advanced restoration of tooth structure is the dental crown.
About Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are restorations that are used to cap an entire tooth. By doing this, the tooth is protected from further harm and any pain or sensitivity associated with the tooth is eliminated or seriously mitigated.
Dental Crowns for Tooth Decay and Injury
One of the most common and well known uses of dental crowns is to restore teeth that have been seriously damaged or decayed. This helps strengthen the compromised tooth so that a patient can bite and chew as normal without undue distress or discomfort. Similarly, dental crowns are also commonly used to cap a tooth as part of root canal therapy.
Ideal Candidates for Dental Crowns to Address Tooth Damage
The best candidates for dental crowns in cases of serious tooth decay or tooth damage are people who have experienced major structural problems with their teeth that cannot be addressed with any other sort of dental restoration. The patient should still have enough tooth structure to save such that tooth extraction is not the only option.
Dental Crowns for Implant Restoration
In addition to addressing issues related to tooth damage and tooth decay, dental crowns are also a common solution to consider for capping an individual dental implant. This is a good option for people who are missing just an individual tooth.
The dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is surgically placed into the jawbone and gum tissue in order to support a restoration and fill the gap in the smile.
Ideal Candidates for Dental Crowns as an Implant Restoration
The ideal candidates for implant-supported dental crowns are people who have enough bone density and gum tissue in the area of a tooth gap to anchor a dental implant in place. They should be in good health overall to tolerate such a surgery and they should also have realistic expectations about what the surgery will entail in terms of the recovery process.
Alternatives to Dental Crowns
If patients are not good candidates for dental crowns, there are plenty of options to consider that may be of great benefit to them.
In the case of tooth decay and tooth damage, the use of inlays and onlays is preferable to the use of dental crowns when possible since patients will be able to retain more of their own natural tooth structure.
As for the case of tooth loss, those who do not qualify for dental implants may instead require the use of a removable dental bridge to fill the tooth gap. Similarly, those who are missing multiple teeth would be better served by the use of a dental bridge rather than multiple dental crowns.
Learn More About Dental Crowns
For more information about dental crowns as well as your many other options out there for advanced dental care treatment, be sure to contact our Nashville, TN dental care center today. Our entire team is eager to meet you in person and help you make the best possible decisions about your overall dental wellness.
