Dental crowns, are dental restorations that encase a tooth  This procedure is rebuild broken or decayed teeth, strengthen teeth, or improve the cosmetic appearance of a tooth.

Our pages will explain for you the reasons why dental crowns are placed and the process a dentist uses when making a crown. We'll also give you an idea of how long a dental crown might last, what events can lead up to the need for replacing a crown, how much dental crowns can cost, and what alternatives there are to having a crown placed.

What are dental crowns?
Crowns are a type of dental restoration which, when cemented into place, fully cup over the portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line. In comparison, fillings are dental restorations that fill in or cover over just a portion of a tooth. Since dental crowns encase the entire visible aspect of a tooth, a dental crown in effect becomes the tooth's new outer surface.

Crowns can be made out of porcelain metal (a gold or other metal alloy), or a combination of both. Other terms that are used to refer to dental crowns are "dental caps" and "tooth caps."

Why do teeth need dental crowns?
A dentist might recommend placing a dental crown for a variety of reasons but, in general, most of these reasons will usually fall within one of the following basic categories: To restore a tooth to its original shape.
To strengthen a tooth.
To improve the cosmetic appearance of a tooth.

What exactly is a dental crown? The term is actually used to describe a few different procedures using different kinds of material. In the most basic of terms, a dental crown is a tooth cap that is placed over a tooth thus covering the tooth to restore its shape, its size and its strength, thus making it look more attractive and ’normal’.

People choose to have dental crowns for a number of reasons. In some cases people who for whatever reason have not taken care of their teeth for whatever reason may have decay that has permanently eroded parts of their teeth.

Dental crowns, thus reversing the appearance of decay, can repair this erosion. In other cases, an accident such as an athletic mishap and render a smile damaged, crowns can also be used to fix this problem..

A dental crown may be needed when at least one of the following occurs:

•To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
•To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
•To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth left
•To hold a dental bridge in place
•To cover misshaped or severely discolored teeth
•To cover a dental implant
There are also a host of different materials you can choose from for your dental crowns. The most popular ones are:

Metals – These could include gold alloy and other base metal alloys. Metal dental crowns are by far the toughest. They can withstand daily wear and tear and they rarely break or chip. The only real drawback is that they look like metal and not a naturally white tooth.

Porcelain – These have most of the structural strength of a metal dental crown but the porcelain aspect of them makes sure that they look like a normal tooth. Of course the porcelain is slightly more prone to chipping, but they are still tough.

All Resin – These are the least expensive for o crowns. Naturally, though like most inexpensive things they do not last as long as other types of crowns.

All Porcelain – These are the best looking crowns, and probably the best bet for your money. You have more strength than the resin based, much of the strength of the metal crowns, but they look like real teeth.