Everyone wants a fantastic smile that reflects a confident personality. However, it may not be God-gifted each time, so you may need professional help to get it. Thanks to cosmetic dentistry, getting a dazzling smile is easier than you think.
Yes, porcelain crowns, also called dental caps, can give you the best solution. If you want to know what a porcelain crown is, the treatment cost and how it works in 2022, this simple but complete guide is for you.
What Is Porcelain Crown?
Porcelain crowns are an option for people who have damaged teeth. These are custom-made caps of porcelain bonded to the tooth to restore its original strength, function, and size. Your dentist will craft the crowns using the porcelain that matches your tooth colour so that it can blend seamlessly with other natural teeth in your mouth. Therefore, they not only improve the functions of your teeth but also make your smile more beautiful and pleasing.
Crowns are ideal for protecting and strengthening a tooth that is impossible to repair with fillings or other dental procedures. You need an experienced dentist to apply porcelain crowns properly on your tooth. It requires minimal tooth preparation.
How To Determine That You Need A Dental Crown?
Dental crowns are excellent for addressing decayed teeth, broken or fractured teeth, fractured fillings, root-filled teeth, large fillings, and other cosmetic dentistry services. In addition, if you have a tooth giving you mental or physical pain because of its imperfect appearance, you can see a dentist specialising in crowns.
How Much Does A Porcelain Crown Cost?
Your dentist will consider a whole range of elements to determine the cost of a porcelain crown – teeth condition, location, dentist’s experience level etc. For instance, some parts of Australia can be fairly affordable, and you can use your health insurance to cover the cost partially. But, in other regions, it may not be the same. You may have to pay high, and your health insurance may not cover the cost.
However, location is a great factor in determining the cost of getting a porcelain crown. Dentists may charge more or less based on the location where they practice and the living standard of the people staying there.
Other factors that affect the cost of crowns are the size and location of the tooth in your mouth and the condition of the surrounding teeth. If you have any damaged tooth, your dentist will repair it before placing a crown. So, it will increase the cost.
If you think you require a dental crown or crown, you can talk to your dentist or their office manager. You will know the cost and whether your insurance will cover it.
Do Porcelain Crowns Involve a Painful Procedure?
It’s not painful with an experienced dentist who has successfully placed several porcelain crowns. However, you will get medication and local anaesthesia while undergoing the crown application procedures.
You may get temporary crowns during your first appointment. As a result, you may feel sensitivity in your gums and around the non-permanent crown. But it’s a temporary experience that will last shortly.
However, you may feel discomfort when your dentist places the permanent crown in your mouth. Fortunately, your dentist will perform the procedure under local anaesthesia and apply a numbing agent to make your treatment journey comfortable.
You may experience soreness after the crown installation, but it will not last long. You will not feel any significant or lingering pain during the whole procedure.
Porcelain Crown Procedures
Getting a porcelain crown can be a painless process. It involves two separate dental appointments. In the first appointment, your dentist will digitally scan your tooth to take a dental impression or mould. Your dentist will send the mould or image to a dental laboratory to create customised crowns. Next, your dentist will fit a temporary crown on your tooth until your permanent crown is ready.
Once the new permanent crown is prepared, you will get a call from your dentist for the second appointment. Your second appointment may be at the interval of two or three weeks after the first appointment. In this appointment, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and place the permanent one and carefully bond it.
Getting Porcelain Crowns on Front Teeth
Your front teeth are the most common spot to get porcelain crowns. They are the most visible teeth and getting dental crowns there can make a noticeable difference in your smile. Your imperfect or damaged teeth can be a big issue not only for your health but also affects your self-confidence and aesthetics.
The healthy-looking beautiful teeth improve your self-image, make you look younger and your outlook on different life aspects. Therefore, it can significantly affect your overall appearance and life.
In addition, a damaged front tooth or teeth can cause difficulty in eating, chewing, and general functionality. So here comes the role of porcelain crowns. It can improve your oral health and overall self-esteem by offering a perfect smile that you often love to showcase.
Getting Porcelain Crowns on Molars
You can get porcelain crowns on the molars or back teeth, also. Dentists, in most cases, recommend metal crowns for molars since these teeth are generally not visible. Metal crowns also give more durability. But if you are allergic to metals, your dentist may suggest porcelain crowns for your molars.
The dentist will examine and analyse your mouth or oral health to determine the best crown that can suit your case. Choosing crowns depends on your specific problems, needs, location and the visibility of the teeth that need to be capped.
What Will Be the Recovery Time?
You can expect sensitivity, soreness and mild discomfort after your dentist places a porcelain crown. But you will resume normal activities soon after your dental crown is placed. If the dentist uses a numbing agent or local anaesthesia during the treatment procedure, you may feel numb in your jaw or mouth for several hours afterwards.
In addition, you may experience some irritation or inflammation for several days after you get your crown placed. The inflammation or irritation may be around the jaw area or the injection sites where the crown is located. However, the pain or inflammation will subside within a couple of days. Your dentist may also prescribe medications to manage it easily.
It will be great to be mindful about what you eat and drink immediately after getting your dental crowns. For example, you should avoid attempting to chew hard foods or consuming hot liquids. It is because you may not be able to feel sensations of pain or heat due to the effect of the numbing agents and painkillers. As a result, you are likely to injure yourself. Moreover, avoiding hot or hard things will protect your newly installed crown.
However, if you feel feverish, have high sensitivity or have significant pain for a long, you should immediately consult your dentist. Your dentist may adjust or check your crowns to offer the most appropriate solution.
What To Expect After Completion of a Porcelain Crown Procedure?
After installing porcelain crowns, you must wait for your mouth to heal. Then, you can proceed with your regular diet. But you will have to take care that you brush and floss your crown the same way you care for your natural teeth.
Your dentist may recommend you use the toothpaste meant for sensitive teeth for a while after the crown installation procedure. It is because it may take some time to get used to the existence of a crown in your mouth. If this different feeling of having a crown persists for several days or a week, you can visit your dentist to check and ensure that the new crown perfectly fits your bite.
How To Care for Your Dental Crowns?
Porcelain crowns cannot get cavities. However, you still need to take proper care of your upgraded teeth. It will be of great help if you brush and floss their teeth regularly, as you care for your natural teeth.
Though the crowns cannot get cavities, the original tooth underneath a porcelain crown can get cavities and decay. So, routine practice or dental hygiene is essential. In addition, your crowns can get stained if you regularly consume coffee, red wine, and other stain-inducing foods. It can also stain your natural teeth.
In addition, teeth whitening products will not work on crowns or caps. So, if you desire to whiten your original teeth, you must discuss it with your dentist. It may be possible that your dentist will update or replace your crown with white teeth caps.
Get A Porcelain Crown In Melbourne
There may be a variety of reasons for getting a porcelain crown. But the primary purpose of a dental crown is to fix or cover damaged or decayed teeth and have a better smile. Getting a porcelain crown can be relatively easy with an experienced dentist.
Sunshine Dental Group has a specialist team of cosmetic dentists. They use a specialised skill set to place the crown onto your mouth meticulously. It can significantly improve your teeth’ strength, longevity, and appearance. Therefore, call us on (03) 9133 8659 to learn about our local porcelain crown services. In addition, you can drop an email at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a porcelain crown last on the front tooth?
Porcelain crowns are strong, and they can last even for a lifetime. However, the average lifetime of a porcelain crown has been estimated as 5 to 15 years. To extend the life of porcelain crowns, you need to look after them properly and regularly get them examined. You must have a dentist visit after every six months. It will allow your dentist to review them and replace them if they find them chipped or damaged.
If you have small chips in porcelain crowns, your dentist may repair them with composite resin without replacing the entire crowns. But in case of larger chips or excessive chipping, your dentist may replace the crown altogether.
What to do if my crowns get loose?
Dental crowns can get loose or even fall off if they are improperly fitted or if the cement underneath the crowns gets washed out over time. If you feel that your crown has become loose, you should consult your dentist immediately. A loose crown may fall off anytime. Moreover, it can cause bacteria to get underneath the crown resulting in tooth decay and other oral problems.
If your crown falls off due to damage caused by hard foods or other issues, you can use over-the-counter dental adhesive to reattach it temporarily until you see a dentist. But never forget to call your dentist immediately in any circumstance. It will allow your dentist to repair or replace them as required.
Moreover, adequately fitted dental crowns should look and function like your natural healthy teeth – with normal chewing and biting capabilities.
Should I get porcelain crowns or veneers?
Both porcelain crowns and veneers help in improving the aesthetic appearance of teeth. However, crowns are the caps that cover the entire tooth and provide a better solution if the tooth damage is too severe. For example, if you have undergone a root canal treatment or your tooth has a large filling, you can go for dental crowns. At the same time, porcelain veneers are an ideal solution if you have a discoloured, chipped, or crooked tooth.
Veneers focus more on solving aesthetic issues than the functionality of your teeth. However, dental crowns can improve the teeth’ appearance and restore functionality. You can consult your dentist to determine whether you are suitable for porcelain crowns or veneers. Your dentist can guide you with the best solution for your teeth.
