Understanding Root Canal Procedures

What Happens When Your Dental Restoration Needs More Restoration?

23 July 2015

Diane Mason

Unless you invest in porcelain crowns on your teeth, you can expect to replace and/or restore your crowns frequently. Resin crowns are the least expensive and the most likely to break off if you grind your teeth or get hit in the face. Resin and porcelain composite crowns are a little stronger, but you may find that they last only a little longer than their cheap resin cousins. Pure porcelain crows are the most expensive, but they are nearly impossible to break or grind into fractured pieces. If you have a cheaper crown that fractures, here is what you can do.

Cracks and Fractures

As long as you do not go several days, weeks or months with a simple crack or fracture in your crown, your dentist can perform some very basic restoration techniques that can save you money. However, you should only view these solutions as very temporary, especially if you grind your teeth at night while you sleep. These techniques include:

• Clear sealants (fills the hairline fracture of a cracked crown and then seals out everything else, a sort of super glue for your your tooth)
• Metal caps (cap fits over the entire crown, holding it firmly together and preventing any more damage to the crown)
• Dental wire (wrapped around the crown, this holds the cracked crown together until the wiring can be replaced with something slightly more permanent or a permanent replacement of the crown)

Chips and Complete Separations

It is not unheard of for resin and resin/porcelain composite crowns to chip and completely separate from the stump of natural tooth underneath. (While it is impossible to utilize any of the above techniques for a cracked or fractured crown, you can still restore a crown to the affected tooth.) When that happens, you need to see a dentist immediately because the tooth stump is exposed with no natural protection. When you see your dentist to restore the entire crown, resolve to spend the money on a full porcelain crown. It will last a very long time and it will protect the natural tooth underneath it.

Prevention to Extend the Life of Your Crowns

Of course, the best way to keep your crowns from cracking, fracturing or separating altogether is to prevent injury and bruxism (teeth grinding in your sleep). Ask your dentist about mouth guards to protect your teeth for those times when you play hard and/or when you go to bed at night. Your dentist can fit you for a custom mouth guard that will also fit your crowns perfectly.

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