Dental Crowns – Portland, OR
Strengthening Your Tooth after Decay or Damage
When it comes to the long-term health of your mouth, we here at Advanced Dental Arts NW want you to have a reason to smile for the rest of your life! Accidents do happen, and when they do, we probably have a way to fix them. When it comes to extreme cases of decay or trauma to a tooth, one of them is by placing a dental crown. Dental crowns in Portland, OR give us a way to protect your natural teeth while simultaneously restoring your ability to eat and smile the way you always have.
Why Choose Advanced Dental Arts NW for Dental Crowns?
- High-Quality Crowns in a Single Visit with CEREC
- Dental Emergencies Welcome
- Over 30 Years of Dentistry Experience
What Is a Dental Crown?
Think of a dental crown as a hat for your tooth, but the hat is made to look and feel just like the tooth it’s covering up. A dental crown fits over the top of a tooth that has experienced significant trauma or decay to give you back the form and function of your tooth. The best part about dental crowns is that they save your natural teeth from having to be removed and replaced, which saves you time and money.
Why Might I Need a Dental Crown?
As we have mentioned above, the most common reasons for needing a dental crown are excessive decay or trauma to a tooth, but those are not the only ones. We are all familiar with dental fillings, but did you know that dental fillings need to be replaced every few decades? It’s true! Sometimes, when we find a filling that has reached the end of its usefulness, we will take it out only to realize that the situation won't allow us to simply replace it. If there is not enough of your tooth left to support a filling, sometimes we will place a dental crown to restore it. If you notice that your filling hurts or feels loose, it's time to schedule an appointment.
Dental crowns are also placed to restore tooth replacement options like dental implants. We can even use dental crowns to repair teeth that have had to undergo root canal therapy.
The Dental Crown Procedure
In most cases, patients are able to receive a completely custom-made dental crown in just one appointment here at Advanced Dental Arts NW. How do we do it? With CEREC technology! This system combines a 3D scanner with an in-house milling machine that enables us to design and make our own crowns in about an hour.
A patient with a damaged tooth comes to see us, and our team scans their tooth, creating a 3D model on a nearby monitor Dr. Teasdale can use to design the crown. Once his design is ready, it is given to our milling machine, which sculpts the crown out of a single piece of dental porcelain, guaranteeing its strength. This is all done while you relax in the dental chair. When your crown is finished, Dr. Teasdale will make a few final adjustments and place it into your mouth. After checking your bite one last time, that’s it! This process is not only much faster compared to the traditional one (that requires multiple appointments), but patients also don’t have to get a gooey dental impression or spend weeks with an unreliable temporary crown.
Dental Crowns Frequently Asked Questions
Still have a few questions about dental crowns in Portland? Before you go sifting through the entire internet, we’ve taken the time to answer some of the most popular crown-related questions we receive below. Look over our responses, and if you have anything else you would like to ask, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.
What are dental crowns made of?
Dental crowns can be made using a wide variety of materials, with the most traditional ones being metal and gold. Thankfully, advancements in dental materials now allow for all-porcelain crowns that have a much more natural appearance. With CEREC, the crowns are 100% porcelain. Because they are exposed to a lot of pressure while chewing, metal crowns are typically recommended to restore back teeth (molars), while porcelain crowns are better for the front teeth that show when someone smiles.
How do I take care of a dental crown?
Fortunately, maintaining a crown largely resembles taking care of your natural teeth! At home, it’s important to brush and floss daily, especially where the crown and natural tooth meet toward the gum line. And, attending routine checkups with your dentist in Portland is essential as well, as these will give our team a chance to examine your crown and make sure it’s in good shape. If we spot a problem, we can take care of it right away before it turns into a bigger issue.
How long does a dental crown last?
The average lifespan of a dental crown is about five to 15 years. Metal crowns tend to be more durable compared to porcelain ones, but individual factors play the largest role in their longevity. Habits like smoking, nail-biting, teeth grinding, eating ice, and others can cause a crown to wear down prematurely or even crack. On the other hand, if someone avoids these behaviors and diligently cleans their crown, some can last for decades.
Will dental insurance cover my crown?
Yes, but probably only partially. Most dental insurance plans classify dental crowns as a restorative treatment, which means 50-80% of the cost will be covered. The difference in coverage is largely based on if a policy considers a dental crown to be a “basic” or “advanced” procedure. Before committing to treatment, it’s important to read your plan and make sure you’ve met your deductible so you have a solid idea of what you’ll be expected to pay out of pocket. If you need help covering your portion, be sure to ask our team about your financing options.