Caps

Dental caps, sometimes called tooth caps, are the same thing as dental crowns . Caps and crowns are tooth shaped dental appliances that are used to cover a tooth for a variety of reasons. They can be made of several different types of materials and come in a variety of price ranges. They’re even colored to match your natural teeth as closely as possible.

Why Do You Need Caps?

There are a variety of reasons why you might need caps on your teeth. These include:

Broken badly enough that a simple repair or filling won‚’t work.
Worn away so that‚’s there‚’s not enough good surface for a filling or surface repair.
Weak from decay.
Mostly filling with little good tooth surface left.
When a root canal is necessary to remove the pulp and nerves from the inner cavity of the tooth. The cap protects the tooth after the procedure.
Poorly shaped or discolored. Many people opt for dental caps on their front teeth to improve their appearance when they feel their teeth are unattractive.

Caps are also used when a tooth is extracted and replace by an implant . The cap goes on top to resemble a real tooth.

Are Caps Expensive?

Porcelain crowns range from about $500 or $600 to $1500, depending on your dentist and the tooth that will be capped. Porcelain over metal crowns is a little less expensive, and resin crowns are usually the least expensive. Metal caps can range about the same price, with gold dental caps being the most expensive, because of the gold alloy used.

So if they‚’re so expensive, why bother? Many people wouldn‚’t think twice about having a damaged, misshapen or discolored front tooth capped because of the benefit to their appearance. But when it comes to teeth that don‚’t show, is it really necessary to spend $1,000 to $2,000 for a tooth, when you figure in the cost of the root canal (if one is necessary), the other expenses, and the crown? Why not spend $100 and have it extracted, and save all that money?

The Important of Keeping Your Natural Teeth

When you have a tooth extracted, it‚’s important not to leave the gap there. You should get a dental implant , which is a false tooth (which is essentially a cap) that is anchored into the bone like a real tooth, or partial dentures that are removable but replace the tooth. Bridges can also be used. This is important even if the tooth is in the back where it‚’s not easily seen. These are all as expensive as or more expensive than simple caps.

Putting a tooth in the place of the gap keeps your bite and your ability to chew the same, so your teeth won‚’t wear differently after the extraction. It also prevents the surrounding teeth from spreading out and causing gaps, as well as loosening as they move and providing more places for bacteria to grow. The bacteria can cause gingivitis, which can result in more tooth loss. Caps are a much better and healthier alternative to preserve not only your smile, but also your oral health .