What Are Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are among the most popular reconstructive dentistry procedures performed in the US. Also called a dental cap, a dental crown is a sheath that fits over a damaged tooth, covering the entire visible area of the tooth, from the top of the crown to the gumline, and often even a little bit below. Why Dental Crowns Are Used Dental crowns are used for many purposes. Most commonly, dental crowns are used to support teeth that are too damaged to stand on their own. Often a dental crown is a follow-up procedure for teeth that had fillings that developed secondary decay around them, weakening the tooth. Dental crowns are also used if your teeth suffer serious cracks, jeopardizing their stability. If you have a root canal, a dental crown is used to protect the treated tooth. Dental crowns can also be used for cosmetic purposes. If a tooth is discolored by decay, trauma, or metal fillings, a dental crown can be used to give the tooth a more attractive color that matches with other teeth. Dental crowns can also be used to build up small or poorly shaped teeth, or reshape teeth as part of an instant orthodontics procedure with porcelain veneers. Dental crowns can be used to help build up teeth that have been worn down and may be contributing to a bad bite. Finally, dental crowns can be used to help replace teeth. A dental implant can be topped with a dental crown, and dental crowns can support a dental bridge. Types of Dental Crowns Permanent dental crowns can be classified into three basic types based on their material (temporary dental crowns are a little different). Metal crowns are most often made of gold or a noble metal alloy, though sometimes stainless steel crowns are used for children’s primary teeth that have extensive decay. Although durable, these crowns are often undesirable because they are unattractive. Porcelain fused to metal crowns have a metal base that is covered over with ceramic material. This can provide a more attractive appearance, though the metal around the edge of the crown may be exposed by receding gums and the porcelain can flake away under heavy bite forces. Full ceramic crowns are made entirely of ceramic material that mimics the natural tooth structure, color, and luster. At Ascent Dental we offer a special kind of ceramic crown called a CEREC crown. The benefit of the CEREC system is that we can give you a permanent dental crown in one day, without having to send away to a lab or make a temporary crown for you. CEREC crowns are also very durable and attractive. If you would like to learn more about dental crowns and whether they’re right for you, please contact Ascent Dental in the Cherry Creek area of Denver today.
Facts about Dentures & Statistics
Most people don’t know much about dentures, and probably aren’t curious enough to learn. But if you are facing the loss of your teeth, maybe it’s time you knew more. What Are Dentures? Dentures can be full dentures—plastic bases with artificial teeth in them that replace all a person’s teeth—partial dentures—plastic or metal removable appliance replacing one or a few teeth—and even dental bridges—technically known as fixed partial dentures Dentures can be supported by dental implants The bases of most removable dentures today are made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) Denture teeth can be made of PMMA or ceramic material similar to that used for porcelain veneers PMMA has been the preferred denture material since before WWII What Dentures Can Do Dentures are used to replace missing teeth Economy dentures are designed to do the job cheaply with a minimum in customization More expensive dentures offer improved fit, function, and appearance Some dentures are designed to improve a person’s bite, eliminating headaches, jaw pain, and other TMJ symptoms Dentures Statistics More than 35 million Americans are edentulous—meaning they don’t have any teeth 90% of the edentulous population has dentures 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth 13% of current smokers are edentulous, compared to just 5% of people who never smoked Dentures History The Etruscans made the first dentures in the 7th century BCE, securing human or animal teeth together with gold bands By the 16th century CE, wooden dentures were commonly used in Japan In the 18th century, Europeans were making dentures of wood, bone, and ivory with carved teeth or human teeth Dentures with human teeth were marketed as “Waterloo teeth” because young soldiers killed in battle were considered the best donors for dentures, though many poor people sold their teeth George Washington’s dentures were never made of wood. He had several sets that were made of bone and ivory, with both carved and human teeth When Vulcanite dentures were invented in the 19th century, they were so profitable that one dentist committed murder to preserve his right to keep making them In WWI, the US Army developed a special denture for use by troops because many recruits couldn’t meet the minimum standard of 12 teeth required to serve In WWII, Winston Churchill had his denture specially crafted to preserve his characteristic lisp Have more questions about dentures? We can answer them. Please contact Ascent Dental in the Cherry Creek area of Denver today to schedule an appointment.