When a tooth has suffered extensive damage, a dental crown may be needed to restore its appearance and reinforce it. While dental crowns are a relatively common dental treatment, you may not know what you should expect when one or more of your teeth need to undergo this treatment.

You May Need To Wait Several Days For Your Crown

Most dental treatments can be completed rapidly on-site. However, this is often not the case with crowns as it will be necessary to manufacture a crown that will be custom-made for the patient's tooth. As a result, it can take several days for the crown to be made and shipped to the dental clinic. Luckily, you may not have to go with an unprotected tooth as your dentist may apply a temporary crown. It will provide much of the protection of a permanent crown, but it may not fit the tooth as well or look as realistic as the permanent crown.

Caring For A Dental Crown Is Easy

Caring for a dental crown will be easy as it should not require any major changes on the part of the patient. However, it will be important to make sure that the base of the tooth with the crown is being thoroughly brushed. Otherwise, it could be possible for bacteria and plaque to get under the crown where it may cause damage to the tooth itself. A water flosser can be an effective tool for removing these substances from the base of the crown.

A Dental Crown Will Have To Be Replaced

A crown will be an extremely durable covering for your damaged tooth. However, it will still suffer wear over time that will eventually result in the crown needing to be replaced. Luckily, a dental crown will be able to last for many years before it will have to be replaced to keep protecting the tooth. During your yearly cleaning and evaluation, the dentist will be able to assess the current condition of the crown to determine whether replacing it is necessary. Fortunately, the process of replacing the crown will not be as disruptive as you will not have to use a temporary crown while you wait for the new one to be made. This can allow you to only need to visit the dentist once to have the crown replaced. Furthermore, regularly having the crown checked can give you ample notice so that you can schedule this procedure for when it will be the most convenient for your schedule.