Dr. William Huckin offers dental crowns in Dallas to meet the dental health needs of our patients. A dental crown can serve many purposes in restorative dentistry.
You’ll need a dental crown when a damaged tooth needs repair. A crown will protect a weak tooth after a root canal treatment or improve the look of your smile. A dentist can also use a dental crown to support a dental bridge or cap a dental implant.
A dental crown is a porcelain topper your dentist adheres to a prepared tooth or an embedded post. It serves as a new tooth and can last for many years as long as you keep practicing good oral hygiene habits. Our office uses high-quality composite resin for crowns, ensuring a natural look and feel.
Dr. Huckin recommends dental crowns to patients with chipped, cracked, or damaged teeth. They’re also great for covering a stained tooth. Learn more about the process at Dr. Huckin’s office, and how you can benefit from our modern dentistry.
The Dental Crowns Process in Dallas, TX
You should expect to visit the dental office at least twice throughout the dental crown process. If your dentist decides that you need a crown at the first visit, you will schedule followup visits for measurements and placement.
- The initial visit includes a thorough exam to check your oral health. Dr. Huckin will make sure a crown is the right solution before recommending it. He may also suggest other services if they are more relevant to your situation.
- During your second visit, Dr. Huckin will prepare the damaged tooth with a thorough cleaning and take dental impressions. The dental impressions will allow him to create the best possible crown for you and ensure a natural fit.
- Then, he will place a temporary crown to protect the prepared tooth. The temporary will also allow you to use your teeth normally. It’s so comfortable that sometimes patients get confused and think the temporary is the final one. A dental laboratory will make your new crown.
- Your dental crown will be ready about two weeks after your previous visit. Then, Dr. Huckin will reach out to you to schedule a return visit to place the new crown.
- Dr. Huckin will remove the stand-in crown, gently clean the area, and secure the new crown on the tooth. Our team will make sure that the crown fits snugly and doesn’t obstruct your bite pattern before securing the crown with permanent dental cement.
Caring for Your New Dental Crown
A dental crown is a long-term investment in your smile, and with proper care, it can last for many years.
- Immediate Aftercare: The First 24-48 Hours: Be gentle as the permanent cement fully sets. Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth for the first day, especially with sticky or hard foods. You may experience some mild sensitivity to hot or cold, which should fade. If you feel like your bite is uneven or “high,” contact our office immediately for a simple adjustment.
- Long-Term Care for Lasting Results: Treat your crown like a real tooth; brush twice daily and floss carefully around it. While the crown itself can’t decay, bacteria can still attack the tooth structure at the gumline. We strongly advise against habits like chewing ice, hard candy, or using your teeth as tools, as this can chip porcelain or loosen the crown. If you grind your teeth at night, a custom night guard is essential to protect your investment.
- Habits to Avoid: We strongly discourage smoking after your crown is placed. The initial sucking motion can disrupt the cement before it fully hardens. Long-term, smoking can also stain the crown margins and contribute to gum recession, which may expose the crown’s edge. For the best outcome and overall health, we recommend avoiding tobacco products altogether.
What Can A Dental Crown Fix?
Dental crowns are one of the most versatile tools a dentist has. They can treat a wide range of cosmetic and restorative dental concerns. Here are the many common reasons why patients get crowns from us.
- Cosmetically, crowns are a great choice for discolored teeth that don’t respond to traditional whitening techniques. We can fix deep stains on teeth using a new crown. We custom-make each dental crown and ensure that they blend in perfectly with your smile.
- If you have a “dead” tooth that’s gray from trauma, a dental crown can repair and cover the entire thing. This also makes crowns useful for malformed teeth or a tooth with defects. The best part is that modern crowns look like real teeth.
- Misshapen teeth aren’t only a cosmetic issue. Depending on where the crown is in the mouth, you may also experience challenges speaking, chewing, or eating properly. This is the same when you have a broken or chipped tooth.
- A dental crown fills back in the part of your tooth that’s not missing. In addition to complicating your tooth function, a broken tooth can expose the dental nerves inside, causing a lot of pain. A dental crown protects those again.
- When you get a root canal, a dentist will remove the infected pulp inside the tooth. We fill the space with a biocompatible material and seal it off from further bacteria. But sometimes, the tooth needs more support to be truly stable. We want to ensure that you get full function back from your tooth after a root canal. Moreover, we may use a dental crown to protect the tooth from further infection and ensure its stability.
- Traditional dental bridges use the teeth on either side of the bridge as anchor teeth. But the stress of supporting the bridge takes its toll on these teeth. They wear down faster than normal teeth and are more susceptible to damage or decay. Before using them as anchors, we often recommend placing a dental crown on these teeth. That way, the dental crown takes on the stress from the bridge and prevents damage to your natural teeth.
- Lastly, dental crowns are the preferred choice to complete a dental implant. We match the shape and size of the rest of your teeth so that the crown looks natural. Dental implants are the gold standard of tooth replacement. With a dental crown as the final restoration, they both look and feel the most like your natural teeth.
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Dental Crown FAQs
Look for the answers to commonly asked questions about dental crowns below.
How long does it take a dental crown to settle?
As with any dental restoration, there’s an adjustment period. It’s a foreign object in your body, so it’s going to feel a bit odd. With dental crowns, it usually feels a bit bulkier than your natural teeth. Within about two weeks, you’ll adjust to your dental crown, and it’ll feel like a normal tooth.
How long after getting a crown can I eat?
You want to wait a short period after the crown procedure to eat. Don’t eat anything until about 30 to 45 minutes after the dentist cements the crown in place. Avoid sticky and chewy foods for a few days after the procedure. This is so you don’t damage the restoration. You also want to avoid chewing in the area where the crown sits for a few days as well.
Is a dental crown procedure painful?
Getting a crown should be virtually painless. We use a local anesthetic to numb the entire area around the tooth that’s getting the crown. You shouldn’t feel anything during the process. After the anesthetic wears off, you may experience a bit of sensitivity while you’re adjusting to the crown. If you’re experiencing extensive pain in the area where the crown is, this isn’t normal. Call us immediately.
Can my dental crown get a cavity?
The dental crown itself isn’t susceptible to tooth decay. But it’s important to remember that your natural tooth structure is still under the tooth. You can still get a cavity or an infection in that natural tooth. Stay diligent with brushing and flossing, and visit the dentist regularly. If you feel a throbbing pain in the crowned tooth, that’s a good sign that there’s a problem.
How do I take care of my dental crown?
Dedicate yourself to brushing at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day. Your crown is very strong, but won’t be quite as strong as your natural teeth. If you eat too many hard foods or use dental care products that are abrasive, your crown won’t last as long as it could. We’ll give you guidelines so you know the best way to get a full life out of your crown.
Am I a good candidate for a dental crown?
Dental crowns are ideal to treat a variety of different problems. They can also salvage the natural tooth structure to prevent the negative consequences of losing an adult tooth. If you have a severely damaged or decayed tooth, we’ll employ conservative options like crowns for treatment. Almost anyone is eligible. If we determine the decay or damage is too severe, we may require tooth extraction.
How long will my crown last?
With good care, a crown typically lasts between 10 and 15 years, and often much longer. Its lifespan depends heavily on your daily habits and oral hygiene. Patients who maintain excellent home care and a balanced diet can expect their crowns to last on the longer end of that range. We will provide you with specific care instructions to help you maximize the life of your restoration.
Schedule An Exam with Our Dallas, TX Dentist
If you have any questions about the dental crown process, our team is happy to answer them. Schedule a dental exam online today or contact our office at your earliest convenience.