Crowns

Jacquline Martin DDS

General Dentistry located in Silver Spring, MD

Crowns Q & A

What are crowns?

Crowns are artificial tooth caps that your dentist permanently seals to one of your tooth roots or a dental implant. They cover the entire area of your tooth above the gumline, effectively replacing the entire top part of your tooth. 

What are crowns made from?

Some of the materials that crowns are typically made from include:

• Gold
• Porcelain
• Porcelain fused to metal

While each of these materials has different advantages depending on your preferences, budget, and where in your mouth the crown goes, Jacquline Martin, DDS, usually recommends zirconia crowns for patients.

Zirconia is an incredibly strong material that can withstand a lot of biting pressure, and it looks just like your natural tooth enamel. The color is very similar and it reflects light in just the same way, leaving your crown to blend in seamlessly with the rest of your smile.

What do crowns do?

Crowns serve a variety of purposes, like:

• Restoring a tooth that’s suffered too much decay for a filling
• Enhancing the appearance of a discolored, misshapen, or unsightly tooth
• Covering up a dental implant to fully replace a tooth
• Protecting a tooth that’s fractured or weakened
• Anchoring and attaching a dental bridge

Your dentist also typically fits you with a crown after you’ve had a root canal treatment in order to reinforce the structural integrity of your tooth and protect you from further damage or decay.

What’s involved in getting a crown?

The team at Jacquline Martin, DDS, can install your crown and restore your smile in two easy office visits. At your first appointment, your dentist makes room for your crown by shaving off some enamel from the tooth that will receive it. Once your tooth is prepared, they take an impression of your mouth.

They send that impression to a lab that builds your crown to fit perfectly over your prepared tooth and sit comfortably in your smile. You wear a temporary crown while you wait for the lab to make your permanent one.

You come back for a second visit when your permanent crown is ready. Your dentist removes your temporary restoration, puts the permanent one in place, then checks that it fits well. If it looks good, they seal it in place with dental cement, securely bonding it to your smile.

Schedule a consultation by phone or online with Jacquline Martin, DDS, today to get started with your crown.