What Do I Do If My Dental Crown Breaks?

If you crack or break a tooth, or if your tooth needs significant treatment for a cavity, then your dentist may recommend a dental crown to restore and protect the tooth. Designed to cover, or cap, your entire a tooth, a crown is often the only way to prevent it from suffering more damage due to its weakened state. However, though highly-effective, dental crowns can also suffer damage, either from undue force, improper placement, or any of a number of other factors. If your dental crown breaks, then the tooth it was meant to protect will once again be exposed and vulnerable, and Dr. Smith advises seeking professional treatment immediately.

Dental crowns are necessary because your natural teeth, once compromised, cannot heal themselves. A cracked tooth will remain damaged, and grow worse until treated, while a cavity (hole in your tooth) will leave the tooth less structurally stable than when it was whole. If your dental crown is damaged, broken, or knocked out, then the tooth underneath it loses its protection, and is once again likely to break further and/or become re-infected.

Since everyone’s smile is unique, their dental needs differ from everyone else’s, and dental treatment is always customized to the specific needs of the patient.  To offer the most effective and appropriate treatment for everyone, and to reduce the risk of a failed or broken restoration, Dr. Smith provides custom dental crowns craftedfrom a variety of materials, including;

·         Metal dental crowns, which are stronger than porcelain and usually recommended for back teeth (molars)

·         Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns, which combine the aesthetic value of dental porcelain with the durability of metal

·         Zirconia crowns, which are highly-resilient, remarkably natural-looking, and often used when patients have a habit of grinding their teeth (bruxism)

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