It’s hard to feel confident in your smile when you have damaged or missing teeth. Dental crowns can prevent further tooth decay by protecting the entire tooth. They will make your smile whole and beautiful again!
What Is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a false tooth that is placed over and covers your existing tooth. Dental crowns are made to resemble your surrounding teeth in size, shape, and color.
Many people use dental crowns after dealing with significant dental damage, such as cavities or sudden falls. Dental crowns are as close as we can get to your natural smile!
Benefits of Dental Crowns
We have grown to appreciate the strength and versatility here at Alatorre Dental! Below are some other helpful tools to help people choose dental crowns again and again!
A Protective Cover
Dental crowns are a literal cover for chips, cracks, gaps, or discoloration. Besides color-correcting and teeth-fixing, crowns can also protect against long-term damage and weathering from teeth grinding.
Dental damage spreads very quickly too. Trapping the damage before it infects the rest of your mouth is essential for a clean smile.
Longevity of Your Teeth
In general, dental crowns can last between 5–10 years. This widely depends on the patient’s overall oral health habits; such as brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash.
If utmost care and precision are maintained, your crown can last up to a lifetime!
Comfort of Natural Teeth
Dental crowns look, feel, and act just like the rest of your teeth. This capability helps our patients get right back into the swing of things once the procedure is over.
Dr. Alatorre recommends avoiding gaping holes that can come without dental crowns. These holes can affect your smile, speech, and overall confidence levels.
Reinforcement
Since dental crowns are made to fit your tooth up to the gumline, they can help keep weak or wobbly teeth securely in place. They are also used to reinforce dental bridges.
Proper alignment isn’t just a cosmetic preference—it’s a necessity. Without proper care and maintenance, you can deal with additional tooth damage and digestive issues later.
Zirconia Crowns
At Alatorre Dental, our crowns are primarily crafted from zirconia, known for its superior strength compared to traditional porcelain crowns, and we steer clear of using metal or porcelain alone. Zirconia crowns stand out for their exceptional durability and aesthetic appeal, aligning closely with the natural appearance of your teeth.
Zirconia Crown Steps
Opting for a zirconia crown involves a streamlined procedure, often completed within 10 days, thanks to our advanced approach.
Here’s what to expect:
- Tooth Preparation: Your visit begins with the careful preparation of your tooth, ensuring the zirconia crown will fit perfectly without the need for metal or porcelain alternatives.
- Digital Scanning: Rather than using plaster, we embrace the latest in digital scanning technology. This method is not only quicker but also significantly reduces stress for our patients, providing a more comfortable experience.
- Temporary Solution: While your zirconia crown is being precisely crafted, we’ll protect your tooth with a temporary solution, safeguarding it against any potential damage.
- Crown Fabrication: Leveraging our state-of-the-art lab, your custom zirconia crown is created to match your unique smile.
- Final Fitting: Upon your return, we remove the temporary solution and securely fit your new zirconia crown, ensuring your smile is beautiful, functional, and ready to shine.
By choosing Alatorre Dental, you’re not only opting for a crown that’s robust and visually pleasing but also for a care experience that’s efficient and patient-focused, thanks to our commitment to cutting-edge dental technology.
Same-Day Crowns
We’re proud to be one of the few practices with the training and equipment to offer same-day crowns! Same-day crowns are the same thing as normal crowns, but the process is a little different.
Same Day Crowns Process
As the name implies, same-day dental crowns are quite simple. Here’s a small overview of how the procedure might go for you.
- We will first make room for the crowns to be placed by removing a small part of your teeth. We will do this while being as minimally invasive as we can.
- Our 3D intraoral scanner will take pictures of your teeth, so there’s no need for a physical impression. This will create a 3D model of your teeth that we can use for the crown.
- Once your teeth have been measured, our on-site lab uses advanced computer technology and modeling software to create your customized crown.
- We will place the crown on your teeth. No additional visits are necessary for same-day dental crowns!
All this happens in-house within the span of one visit, so there’s no need for temporary fillings. You can relax in our waiting room while your crown is prepared.
Once it is ready, we will place the crowns in and you should be good to go!
Should I Get a Traditional or Same Day Crown?
A great question we get from some patients is whether they should get a traditional or same-day dental crown. Below are some things to keep in mind while you help make the decision:
If you want a quicker, cheaper, and less invasive dental option—try our same-day crowns! These crowns are a great option for those who need a prompt fix to a big issue.
If you a more durable, customizable, and diverse options—try out traditional crowns! This option is a conservative and time-tested option to help resolve dental decay and destruction.
