Why a Crown?
When you visit the dentist and he suggests a root canal and a crown or just a crown on a damaged tooth, you might wonder, “Why a crown? Why not just pull the tooth?”
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Sometimes people do opt to have a tooth pulled because they worry about things like how much it will hurt to have a root canal or to have the tooth prepared for a crown. Fortunately, most people‚’s fear of the pain that the procedure might cause is much worse than any actual pain they‚’ll feel.
Local anesthetic is necessary, so there will be a few shots to the area around the tooth that needs a crown. But most dentists can give these injections with little pain, and then the area begins to numb. You should feel no pain or discomfort during the procedure, only pressure. So one should not let the fear of dental pain prevent them from getting a needed crown.
Some people also worry about crown cost . Without the office visit and the charge for the root canal, if one is needed, a crown can cost anywhere from $500 to a few thousand, depending on the materials chosen. The least expensive crowns will be at least $500, possibly more, but the cost is worth it to save the tooth and avoid needing a partial denture or implant.
Why a crown? Because you get to save your natural root structure and some of the tooth beneath it, and you will get a sturdy tooth-shaped covering for it. This is much more desirable that losing the tooth, or even an implant. While dental implants can be permanent and very sturdy, when you retain your own tooth structure there‚’s no need to drill into the bone in order to install an implant. Keeping your own teeth and your own roots is almost always the easier option.
Tooth Damage that Requires a Crown
Many dental problems can be fixed without crowns, like small chips, cracks and cavities. But crowns are usually recommended in cases where a tooth is:
- Broken or has been worn away more than can be repaired with a simple filling
- Cracked badly and deeply enough that it could easily break apart
- Severely weakened from decay , like a tooth with several cavities
- Mostly made up a filling, with little natural tooth surface left
- Replaced by a dental implant
- Misshapen or very discolored
- Broken or has been worn away more than can be repaired with a simple filling
- Cracked badly and deeply enough that it could easily break apart
- Severely weakened from decay , like a tooth with several cavities
- Mostly made up a filling, with little natural tooth surface left
- Replaced by a dental implant
- Misshapen or very discolored
The Expense: Why a Crown?
Dental crowns, also called dental caps , aren‚’t cheap. Often, when the tooth needing a crown is in the back and hidden from view, people will balk at the idea of spending hundreds of dollars to fix the tooth with a crown. The dentist should always recommend this first and even try to discourage you from having it pulled as an option.
It‚’s your tooth, so if you choose to have it extracted, the dentist will do so. But once you remove it, you‚’ll leave a gap that allows the other teeth to start to move, and make yourself more susceptible to other dental problems. Why a crown ? Because you deserve to keep your teeth!