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First Floor, Mount View Plaza, School Road, Super Market, F-6 Markaz Islamabad, 44000
This article was written and reviewed by Dr. Ameerzeb Pirzada, you can read more about him by clicking on his name.
Dr. Ameerzeb Pirzada has been working as a dentist for almost a decade now, he has publications in various magazines which include Reader’s Digest, Zwivel, Kabbage Blog and so many more. If you want to learn more about him click here.
Dr. Ameerzeb Pirzada did his Bachelors in Dental Surgery (BDS) from Pakistan, later on, he did his MPhil in Dental Materials also from Pakistan. He also has received various diplomas and certifications regarding the field of orthodontics, periodontology, implantology, and endodontics.
We usually require two visits to make a dental crown, the first step is examination and preparation of the tooth and the second step is the placement of the crown.
At your first visit in preparation of a crown, our dentists visually and radiographically observe the teeth before proceeding. This is a very necessary step for us so that we may reach your expectations and furthermore to check if the tooth can be salvaged. For instance, if a tooth has excessive decay and there are chances of an infection, then you may need to get a root canal treatment done. Before the fabrication of the crown, if needed, we will anesthetize/numb the particular area so that you don’t feel any pain or discomfort during the treatment. Next, we file the tooth’s occlusal surface and its surrounding area to make room for the crown. The amount that is supposed to be removed depends on the type of crown of your choosing. However, if there’s a huge cavity present, we will first fill that up and then proceed to crown cutting. This is also referred to as a build up. Before sending it to the dental lab, our dentists will match the shade of your teeth with our shade guide so that it matches your natural teeth. If needed, we will provide you with a temporary crown. After we grind your teeth, we use putty or alginate to record a 3D impression of your jaw and teeth. This will be sent to the lab and on which the permanent crown will be made. Usually, at our office it takes four to five days for the crown to be made, however at some instances we speed up the process.
During the second visit, we will remove the temporary crown and check the fit and shade of the permanent crown. If everything is acceptable we will apply a permanent cement on the crown and then fit it on your tooth.
Just because we use temporary crowns as a temporary fix, you don’t need to take care of them because we are going to eventually take them off. However, we do recommend some precautions:
Discomfort/Sensitivity. You may feel some sort of sensitivity or discomfort after a crown is placed. Sensitivity is usually felt because the tooth is vital, however, if a root canal treatment has been done then we don’t expect you to have sensitivity. We do prescribe kinds of toothpaste and mouthwashes to reduce sensitivity. Furthermore, little discomfort may be felt. This is due to the fact that sometimes we tend to cut the grown near the gingival region, this is to achieve a better aesthetic appearance. If you do feel the crown to be a bit high, you may contact us and we can easily fix it. Fractured Crown. All ceramic/porcelain crowns may fracture. However, if the chip/fracture is small we can repair it with composite. This is, however, a temporary fix, if we see a lot of chipping of the crown then we tend to replace it. Loose Crown. You may feel the crown loosening up after a few years or months, this is because of the cement degradation. Sometimes if one feels the loosening of a crown it may be because of the crown is very high, excessive forces are generated which may loosen the crown. In such cases, bacteria may leak into the crown which may cause a carious lesion to start. If this happens, visit your nearest dentist. Dislodged Crown. Sometimes dental crowns may fall off. Improper fit, lack of cement or a very small amount of tooth is left to support the crown usually causes dislodgement. If this is the case, we use posts and pins to rebuild your entire tooth so you may have a durable crown. If the crown is dislodged by the above-mentioned reasons, Z Dental Studio can easily fit it back into its original position.
We see patients that may have an allergy to metal crowns. In such cases, we tend to go for all ceramic/porcelain crowns but this is extremely rare. Moreover, a dark line may appear near your gum line. This is only the metal part of the Porcelain fused to metal crowns metal part showing on your gum line. While this may not cause an allergic reaction, the dark line is cosmetically unacceptable. In such instances, we replace the crown and may give our patient a porcelain crown.
Onlays and 3/4th crowns are basically a variation in the technique of fabrication of the dental crown. Dental crowns tend to cover the entire surface of teeth whereas onlays cover the teeth to a lesser extent.
On average, dental crowns may last between five and fifteen years. This is highly dependant on the patient if the crown is well taken care of it may last a lifetime with little or no problems. If the following habits are avoided the crown does last a bit longer:
A dental crown may not require special care. However, it’s worthy to note that just because a tooth is crowned doesn’t mean that the patient will be immune to gum diseases. Proper brushing is the key for healthy teeth. Therefore, good oral hygiene must be followed, flossing around the crown are some of the best practices that a patient can do. Rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash is also helpful.
We tend to offer an array of materials to our valuable patients, these materials will have different costs and will be chosen by the patient themselves. Our dentists will provide you and hand out samples for you to judge which has better quality. Our motto is to give you the treatment that lasts a lifetime.
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