What you need to know about dental crowns

What are crowns, how they are installed and what to do to make dentures last a long time.

Andrey Kryukov

Dentist-orthopedist, chief physician of the network of clinics "Affordable dentistry».

What is a crown

A crown is an orthopedic construction, a microprosthesis that covers the crown of the tooth. Simply put, the portion is above the gum edge. Crowns are designed to restore teeth that have been severely damaged by natural means or as a result of traumatic injuries. Compared to removable dentures, this is a much more reliable and aesthetic type of dental prosthetics.

Crowns can be permanent or temporary. Temporary, as a rule, are placed during the manufacture of permanent ones so that the missing tooth is not noticeable. They are usually made of plastic or composite materials right in the dentist's office.

What are permanent crowns?

Typically, there are two main types of crowns.

Sintered metal

At the heart of such a prosthesis is metal, and a layer of high-strength ceramic is applied on top. This is the most common type of denture. They owe their popularity to the accuracy of manufacturing, strength and durability (they last about 10 years) at a relatively affordable price: on average, about 10 thousand rubles for a crown with installation.

However, metal allergy is not excluded, and the place where it touches the gums may darken over time. Visually, such crowns look good, but not perfect. Also, during the installation of metal-ceramic columns, a lot of dental tissue is removed and depulpation is done - removal of the soft tissue of the tooth, in which the blood and lymphatic vessels and nerves are located.

Among metal-ceramic prostheses, crowns made of zirconium dioxide are distinguished. Such a prosthesis is more expensive (on average 20 thousand rubles), and visually it is difficult to distinguish it from a real tooth: the color is as close as possible to the natural color of the enamel. Zirconium dioxide crowns last about 15 years. They do not cause darkening, inflammation and swelling of the gums, absolutely hypoallergenic. Such prostheses require minimal tooth turning and tolerate any chewing loads.

Ceramic

These are crowns made entirely of ceramic. An option for those who want to get a result, a tone-on-tone matching in color and level of transparency to the natural teeth. They cost about the same as zirconia crowns, but they let in more light and therefore look even more natural. Dentures made of pure ceramics serve for a long time, but they are more fragile than metal-ceramic ones, so they are installed only on the front teeth.

Pressed ceramics (for example, E-MAX) are popular as a type of metal-free ceramic - the crowns made of it are more durable. Such prostheses are also distinguished by minimal traumatic treatment of the prosthetic area before installation. And what is important, your tooth remains alive.

However, unfortunately, you cannot simply pick and choose the crown that you like best. It is imperative to consult with your doctor and choose the option just for you.

What are the contraindications for installing crowns

General contraindications associated with the entire body:

• pregnancy;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases of the organs of the cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, immune systems;
• undergoing drug therapy;
• acute stress;
• stage of rehabilitation and recovery after surgery.

TO local contraindications relate:

• tooth mobility during advanced stages of periodontal disease;
• allergy to construction materials;
• thin walls of the tooth;
• periodontal tissue diseases;
• abnormal bite.

In any case, before installing crowns, it is necessary to consult your doctor and orthopedic dentist. As a rule, prosthetics can be done subject to the recommendations from specialists.

How crowns are installed

It all depends on the specific situation. Crowns are placed on an existing pre-prepared tooth, on an implant (artificial root) or on a tooth root using a stump.

If the crown is placed on an implant, then implantation is performed first. Next comes the process of engraftment of an artificial root for several months. During this time, a temporary crown can be made, including immediately after tooth extraction. After the implant has taken root, a permanent crown is placed on it.

If the prosthesis will be located on an existing tooth, the specialist grinds the top layer. If the tooth is broken, then a partial restoration is carried out or a stump tab is placed - it all depends on the degree of destruction. At the time of making a permanent crown, a temporary one is also placed.

To create a denture, an impression or 3D model is taken. Then the future tooth is made in the dental laboratory.

Next comes the fitting of the crown. If it fits exactly, then at the final fitting it is fixed (sometimes a correction is made), and the person leaves the office dentist with a perfect smile.

How to care for crowns

• Brush your teeth twice a day. Preference should be given to a paste with little abrasiveness. A product with an overly aggressive composition can damage the surface of the crowns and injure the oral mucosa.
• During cleaning, do not forget about the interdental spaces. For this purpose, special brushes, interproximal brushes and dental floss are used.
• Use irrigators. These devices are designed to more effectively remove plaque and food particles from the surface of teeth and problem areas of the oral cavity.
• Be careful when eating solid food (hard crackers, candies, nuts). Do not gnaw them with crowns, this can damage the dentures.
• Avoid temperature surges. You should not switch from hot to cold dishes and vice versa. Otherwise, exposure will have an extremely negative effect on the condition of the crowns.
• Monitor the condition of the gums. If they become inflamed, bad breath appears, you should immediately consult a dentist.
• Pay special attention to the tongue when cleaning. Microorganisms can accumulate on its surface, provoking the formation plaque and the development of diseases of the oral cavity.
• Limit the consumption of foods and drinks with dyes (black tea, red wine, beets, orange juice). Crowns are able to absorb pigments from food and drink.
• Give up viscous and gooey foods (chewing gum, butterscotch). They can stick to the crown and cause it to fall out.
• Visit your dentist every six months. Regular check-ups will help prevent many problems.

If you follow these recommendations, the crowns will serve you for many years.