Essentially, a crown is like a “cap” or “thimble” which is fitted over an existing tooth to strengthen, restore or improve its appearance.
In some cases, patients with insufficient tooth structure have crowns placed instead of a filling to increase the tooth’s lifespan.
Additionally, we use crowns to strengthen a tooth in order to accommodate the attachment of a fixed bridge.
Crowns are made from dental porcelain or a combination of metal/porcelain (VMK crown).
What process is involved in the construction of a crown? What should I expect?
During this visit we firstly numb the area to be worked on. The appointment generally takes about 60 minutes. A small amount of putty is placed on the tooth being prepared in order to create a key for the provisional crown. The tooth is then shaped to an appropriate size. Impressions and the shade of the neighbouring teeth are taken (this is done in order to match the bridgework as close as possible to your natural teeth). A provisional crown is then made to fit the prepared tooth ( the provisional crown protects the tooth in the interim while the hand-crafted permanent crown is being constructed to fit precisely over your natural tooth). The provisional crown is removed. The tooth is then cleaned and the permanent crown is tried in the mouth for fit, colour and comfort. Once all the parameters are met, the crown is permanently cemented onto the tooth. It takes about 24 hours for the dental cement to fully set, so you should avoid chewing on that side of your mouth for 24 hours.
We are proud of the fact that all our laboratory work is of the highest quality, made by Australians in Australia.
