Dental Crowns – Denton, TX
Strengthening Smiles with Added Protection
At Aguilar Family Dentistry, you can trust our restorative treatments will give your smile the help it needs to feel stronger and look more beautiful. Whether faced with severe decay or damage caused by a dental injury, Dr. Aguilar and his team can repair and restore your weakened tooth with the help of a custom-made dental crown. Considered to be one of the most reliable methods of treatment, its durability and natural-looking appearance will be all you need to ensure your tooth is better protected against reinfection or damage. To learn if you qualify for a dental crown, contact us today to schedule an appointment.
Why Choose Aguilar Family Dentistry for Dental Crowns?
- High-quality materials to create natural-looking smiles
- Friendly & Compassionate Dental Care
- Advanced technology used to ensure accuracy and precision
What is a Dental Crown?
Also known as a “cap,” a dental crown is a custom-made dental restoration that is designed to fit comfortably over a tooth weakened by decay or damage. Often requiring two visits to our office to complete, Dr. Aguilar works with the best dental labs to ensure your crown looks and feels completely natural.
A dental crown is most commonly recommended for the following reasons:
- Severe decay that has penetrated the enamel and dentin layers
- You require a root canal to remove the infected pulp
- You are having a dental implant replace a missing tooth
- An enlarged filling is weakening your tooth structure
- Your tooth is badly damaged as a result of trauma
Most patients who require a dental crown choose a metal-free solution (i.e. ceramic or porcelain); however, it is possible to also opt for more traditional materials like silver or gold amalgam.
The Dental Crown Process
After learning you are a qualified candidate for a dental crown, Dr. Aguilar will begin the process by administering a local anesthetic or sedation to ensure you are relaxed and comfortable throughout the process. He will then begin to clean out the decayed areas of your tooth, removing all remaining debris before filling it with a composite resin that creates a seal to prevent reinfection or further damage.
Once the resin hardens and he is able to prep the tooth by filing it down, he will take impressions and send them off to a dental lab. Technicians will then use these impressions and specifications to create a dental crown that matches the size, shape, and color of your natural smile. You will receive a temporary crown to wear while your permanent one is being created.
After several weeks, you can expect to return to our office where Dr. Aguilar will remove the temporary crown and put the permanent one into place.
What Are the Benefits to Dental Crowns?
If you want a solution that has been used by dentists for decades (or longer), you will find that dental crowns are one of the safest, most reliable methods of restorative dentistry available. Their many benefits include:
- Better protection against reinfection and potential damage
- Natural-looking in appearance (if you choose ceramic or porcelain materials)
- Greater confidence and a more aesthetically pleasing appearance
- The opportunity to restore your natural tooth structure
- Can last 15 years or more with proper care and maintenance
- Can be quickly and easily placed in just two visits to our office
Dental Crown FAQs
Are dental crowns permanent?
Although your new dental crown itself is not designed to be permanent, the treatment is specifically intended to protect your teeth in the long term. In fact, if properly cared for, your prosthetic could last for up to 15 years.
When Dr. Aguilar reshapes your damaged tooth to fit your crown, this procedure is considered irreversible because tooth enamel can’t grow back. Thus, your tooth will always need the protection of a dental crown going forward.
Still, this is a small price to pay, because your dental crown in Denton will protect the underlying tooth from worsening damage, giving it a better chance of surviving than it would have had you not treated it.
To extend the life of your dental crown for as long as possible, be sure to take proper care of it by brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing daily, wearing a bite guard if you grind your teeth, and visiting Dr. Aguilar every six months for your regular dental checkups and cleanings.
If you have received a dental implant crown, this prosthetic could last a lifetime with proper care. Be sure to follow the aftercare instructions provided by Dr. Aguilar following your surgery and contact us as soon as possible if you notice any signs of failure such as a loose implant or inflammation around the crown.
Can dental crowns get cavities?
Because a dental crown in Denton is a synthetic tooth, it is not possible for it to develop decay or cavities. However, the tooth underneath it certainly still can. In fact, having a dental crown doesn’t do much to reduce the risk of decay in your smile, it only protects your teeth from worsening damage from their original infection.
Things like poor oral hygiene allow plaque and bacteria to accumulate around your gumline, where your tooth meets the crown. They can then sneak underneath your restoration and damage the remaining natural tooth structure.
The best way to prevent new cavities from forming in crowned teeth is by maintaining an excellent oral hygiene routine including brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting Dr. Aguilar every six months for your routine checkups and cleanings.
Does it hurt to get a dental crown?
No, it should not hurt to get a dental crown in Denton. That’s because much like getting a regular filling, Dr. Aguilar’s first step will always be to numb your tooth. This will ensure that you feel nothing while he removes the damaged enamel, takes impressions of the remaining structure, and places the temporary restoration.
Once your final crown is ready to be placed, you may not need to be numbed again. However, if you would like to be, please let Dr. Aguilar know at your appointment.
If you are receiving a dental implant crown, you will be numbed for surgery. Once your abutment is placed, you will need another minor procedure which will also require numbing, but the placement of your final restoration should not require any. In fact, you should be able to immediately begin using your new crown as soon as you leave the office with no further sensitivity!
Do dental crowns feel natural?
Although it may seem strange at first, you should get used to the feeling of your new dental crown in Denton within a few days after placement. In fact, eventually dental crowns feel so natural that most patients don’t even remember where they’re located within their arch!
Dental crowns that are made of durable, lifelike materials including ceramic and porcelain were designed to not just withstand the daily pressures of chewing, but blend in seamlessly with the rest of the teeth. Metal crowns may be more noticeable; however, you can discuss the benefits of these with Dr. Aguilar depending on your individual situation.
When Dr. Aguilar removes the enamel from the tooth prior to seating your crown, he is doing so to both eliminate the damaged areas, as well as to reshape the tooth so your restoration fits securely and comfortably. Then, the dental lab makes sure that your crown is an exact replica of the original tooth, so it looks and feels just like it did before it became damaged.
Although you may still be able to tell the difference between your real teeth and your crowns when you touch them with your tongue, most people eventually forget, and in most cases, outsiders looking at your smile are none the wiser, either!