Porcelain crowns are used by dentists today in the restoration of teeth that have extensive damage to them such as advanced decay, cracks or large breaks. Porcelain crowns are used when conventional silver fillings (or other types of fillings) just won’t solve the problem.
Porcelain crowns are used to bring a tooth back to its original shape, appearance and performance. Porcelain crowns are generally placed on damaged teeth by your dentist after the problematic tooth has been extensively prepared. In the case of fixing a cracked or decayed tooth, the dentist would remove the decay and then shape the tooth so that a porcelain crown could attach and cover the tooth. The dentist does this by grinding away the tooth with a drill until the appropriate shape is achieved.
Usually the natural tooth is shaped like a peg so that the porcelain crown can easily slide on to and cover the tooth. When teeth are cracked, this capping process will force the natural tooth back together, sealing the crack and restoring the health of the tooth. Porcelain crows may also be used to anchor bridge work where there is a missing tooth altogether.
Bridges fill in the gaps of missing teeth. When bridges are used for this purpose, the dentist will more than likely use two crowns on either side of the missing tooth gap to anchor the bridge. This type of bridge is called a fixed bridge. Porcelain is often used in crowns, especially with teeth in the front of the mouth, because of the way it mimics the look of natural teeth. Porcelain has been used in crowns for many years to fix teeth and continues to be a favorite of dentists today because of the way it can cosmetically anyone’s appearance.
Once a porcelain crown is placed by the dentist, adjustments may be needed on the crown to make sure that the person who is wearing it can bite down correctly and not have any issues with jaw misalignment. Each porcelain crown placed is custom fit and custom shaped so that the wearer experiences no jaw or bite discomfort and it feels completely natural. When porcelain crowns are installed correctly by the dentist, they should last for at least ten years, they should give the wearer sufficient biting force to resume eating a normal diet and will cosmetically enhance any previously unsightly teeth.
