The lights dim in the theater. Your eyes are transfixed on the latest blockbuster film.
The opening scenes establish who the characters are and how they relate to one another. As you get deeper into the story, the action picks up. Our heroes find themselves in almost inescapable peril when —
OUCH!
What was that? You spit out something into your hand. You can’t really make out what it is in the theater so you step outside for a moment.
In the light of the hallway, it almost looks like you might be holding part of a tooth in your hand. You step into the bathroom and look in the mirror. Yep, that’s exactly what you are holding.
You must have bitten a little too hard into an unpopped kernel of popcorn, and your tooth lost in that confrontation.
But like the heroes in the movie, you don’t give up hope no matter the odds. You call the nearest Beaumont Family Dentistry in Lexington, KY and say that you want to make an appointment to get a dental crown.
Broken Tooth Problems
A broken tooth can cause a lot of problems. If it has a sharp edge, then it could cut the soft tissues of your mouth (like you cheeks or tongue)
A broken tooth is also more vulnerable to bacteria. Parts of your tooth that have been protected may not be exposed.
And having a broken tooth can make eating more difficult. More than likely, you will avoid biting or chewing with that tooth if at all possible. That means you are putting more using other parts of your mouth more frequently than you normally would, which can lead to other problems.
In other words, it’s in your best interest to repair your broken tooth as soon as you are able.
Fixing Your Broken Tooth
If you were an alligator, the solution for your problem would be easy as pie. We would pull your tooth, and a new one would grow in its place.
Seeing you are not an alligator, we have to restore your tooth instead of regrowing it. Dental crowns are one of the foundations of restorative dentistry.
In order to recreate your tooth, we will need to replace the parts that have been lost. Before we can do that, we need to make sure your tooth can support the dental crown.
We often need to reshape what is left of your tooth into an abutment. This makes for a secure location to bond your dental crown in place.
If you come to our office, you also can take advantage our CEREC dental crowns. CEREC (ceramic restoration) crowns can be created while you wait.
On the day of your appointment, we can program our on-site milling machine to create a dental crown from a cube of ceramic material.
Before you leave, we can bond your permanent crown in place. Your smile can look whole once again, and you can feel free to bite or chew with your crown just as you did with your natural tooth.
Other Uses For Dental Crowns
We mentioned earlier than dental crowns were one of the foundations of restorative dentistry. They are, and they can do much more than just repair broken teeth.
Tooth decay is a rampant oral health problem. More than 90 percent of Americans will have at least one cavity during their lives.
The treatment for that cavity will depend on how quickly they seek out dental treatment. A small cavity can be repaired with a dental filling. A large cavity may require something more, and this is another time when a dental crown is in order.
Dental crowns also may be part of a root canal treatment. After a dentist removes the infection from the inside of a patient’s tooth, it’s important to seal that tooth again. Many times, dental crowns are the most effective means of doing this.
Dental crowns also can be used with dental implants to replace teeth that have fallen out or been extracted. The implant acts as the root of this tooth replacement. A dental crown can complete the replacement so it looks, feels, and functions like a real tooth would.
Smile, You’ve Got A Dental Crown
Getting a dental crown may not be as exciting as what you see on the silver screen, but if you should need one, you will appreciate what it can do for you.
And if you want to get that crown in one visit to the dentist office, make your appointment at the nearest Beaumont Family Dentistry. We have three locations in Lexington, KY, and you can contact us online or by phone.