Potential Dental Crown Options For A Severely Broken Tooth

Posted on: 8 June 2015

If a significant amount of your tooth has chipped due to trauma or decay, your dentist will recommend a restoration technique to fix your bite and the cosmetic appearance of your smile.  A dental crown is a popular restoration technique because it saves the remaining natural tooth and helps protect the tooth from further damage.

What are the potential dental crown treatment options for a severely broken tooth? Here are a few treatments to discuss with your dentist the next time you visit the office.

Root Canal

Damage to the dentin of the tooth can also damage the pulp material inside the root canal. The pulp contains vital nerves, blood cells, and soft tissue that keep the tooth alive. Before your dentist restores the exterior of the tooth, a root canal procedure can restore the tooth's interior.

During a root canal procedure, your dentist will open up the top of the tooth if needed to access the canal. The damaged or infected pulp material is scraped out, and then the area is cleaned, before the canal is sealed shut with biomedical cement. Your dentist can then use an artificial dental crown to fix the tooth's appearance and to further protect that root canal from damage.

Crown Lengthening

A dental crown requires a certain amount of existing tooth in order to form a strong bond. If you lost a substantial amount of tooth, you can still receive a dental crown in most cases. But you might have to undergo crown lengthening first.

Crown lengthening involves the dentist eliminating some bone and gum below the tooth to reveal more of the natural crown that's hidden below the gums. The procedure is done under local anesthesia in your dentist's or periodontist's office. You might receive a temporary crown ahead of the lengthening so the dentist can better gauge how much tissue and bone to remove.

Dental Crown

Once your tooth is properly prepared, you can receive the dental crown. There are different types of crowns but with severe tooth damage a full-tooth crown is most likely. This crown will cover the entire existing tooth to keep the damage from moving further down the tooth.

Dental crowns come in several materials but with a full-tooth crown the metal-backed porcelain crowns are a solid choice. The metal offers strength while the porcelain is tooth-colored. Because the crown will go down to the gums, the metal line at the bottom of the crown won't be noticeable.

To learn more, contact a dental office like Welch Dental Care

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