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Dental Crowns

Become more confident in your smile with dental crowns at Cloverdale Crossing Dental Group in Surrey.

What is a dental crown?

A crown is a restoration that covers or "caps" a tooth, restoring it to its healthy shape and strength. Crowns are applied to teeth that are broken or damaged, fillings won't solve the problem.

A crown holds a cracked tooth together, and seals the cracks so the damage doesn't worsen. We also use crowns to attach bridges, and to cover badly shaped or discoloured teeth.

How is a crown placed?

First, we drill away the weak or decayed tooth matter, until a post-like structure remains. If the tooth structure that remains after the damaged portion has been removed is too weak to support a crown, an artificial "post and core" must first be placed.

An impression of the teeth and gums is then made and sent to a laboratory, where the crown will be fabricated. In the mean time, you will wear a temporary crown for about 1.5 to 2 weeks.

Will it look natural?

It will! Dental crowns look almost exactly like natural teeth. To achieve a natural look, we consider a wide range of factors, including the colour, bite, shape, and length of your teeth. When the procedure is complete, your teeth will be stronger and more attractive, too.

Why crowns and not veneers?

Veneers are a great way to improve the appearance of your teeth, but they won't improve the strength or structure of them. Crowns require more tooth structure removal, and cover more of the tooth than veneers do.

We apply crowns to teeth that have sustained significant structural damage, or to replace missing teeth (in combination with dental implants).

How should I take care of my crowns?

You can take care of your crowns more or less as you do your natural teeth. Avoid chewing very hard foods, ice or other hard objects. If you grind your teeth, it could damage your crown, so be sure to get this issue sorted out.

Pay regular visits to the dentist and brush and floss daily; cleaning between your teeth is vital with crowns. Floss or interdental cleaners (specially shaped brushes and sticks) should be used regularly to remove plaque from the crown area where gum meets the tooth. Plaque in that area can cause dental decay and gum disease.

We always recommend that our patients who are having major restorative work done (implants, crowns, veneers, bridges) do a course of bleaching prior to having the work done. If the restorative work is matched to the yellow or grey teeth, there is no way to change the colour.