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Crowning All too often, Malaysians are a bit too late in seeing their dentist to save a tooth from excessive decay and damage. If the pulp (nerves) are not damaged, then crowning or capping is a good remedy. Even if the nerves are damaged, a Root Canal Treatment (RCT) can be done and the tooth then crowned. Crowning is the procedure where damaged tooth structure is removed and replaced by an artificial layer of material. This could be metal as in gold or silver crowns, as done in the days gone by or porcelain as is more commonly used now. The advantage of porcelain is that it can be shaded and colored to look like the original tooth. Infact, even dentists have a tough time identifying a good porcelain crown at a casual glance |
Procedures : To do a crown, the dentist must first make a proper diagnosis and establish that the tooth can be saved by crowning. He must ascertain if the tooth is in proper vital condition. Otherwise a root canal treatment is necessary. The patient is advised and a local anaesthetic injection is given. Once numb, the dentist drills away all the decayed parts of the tooth and any other part that is necessary. Special care is made to ensure that there are no mechanical undercuts. This is to ensure proper fabrication. An impression is then taken and a temporary crown is placed to protect the tooth and maintain appearances during the interim period. The impression is used to make a mould and this is sent to the laboratory where the actual crown is fabricated. Fabrication normally takes seven days. On receipt of the crown from the laboratory, the patient is recalled and the temporary crown is removed under local anaesthetic and the new permanent crown is cemented. Final adjustments are made and a special cement is used to glue the crown to the tooth. Once set, the patient can not remove the crown. It can only be removed by the dentist using special instruments Maintenance : The crown needs no special maintenance. All one has to do is brush and keep it clean like any other tooth. Many patients are worried that bacteria might seep in and start decay again. This is not possible as the tooth is sealed and even bacteria cannot attack the tooth. However, if brushing is not done properly, then gum disease might set in like other tooth Costs : Due to the special procedures and materials used, crowning is an expensive procedure. Laboratory costs too are added to the cost of a crown. Despite this higher cost, crowning is a good investment as the tooth concerned is saved and can be considered trouble free. Post Note : While crowning is indicated for very badly decayed teeth, there are other common reasons for crowning. Cosmetic dentistry is one common indication for crowning, especially for the front teeth. Badly stained or malformed teeth can also be crowned for better esthetic effect Crowning, which was one available only to the elite si now a very necessary treatment and no one should be denied saving or enhancing their appearance by crowning |