Service
Fillings and Crowns
Should I Get a Filling or a Crown
Regular visits to your dentist and good oral hygiene are the first defence against tooth decay, but sometimes your teeth need intervention with a filling or crown. If your dentist at Horizon Family Dentistry finds a brown or black spot on a tooth, he will take an X-ray to confirm if that spot is dental decay – a cavity. If the cavity is very small, we may check it later to see if it has grown, or we can fill a small cavity right then to play it safe. If you have a large cavity, a dental filling is necessary before the decay worsens and causes pain.
A Solution For Damaged Teeth
If you have a large filling, have needed a root canal, or have broken a tooth, a dental crown may the solution to restoring your damaged tooth. If you have not lost the affected tooth, a crown – also known as a cap – will cover your tooth to protect it from more damage or decay. It will also restore its natural shape and functions like a natural tooth.
Some patients choose a crown as cosmetic dentistry to cover a badly shaped or stained tooth.
Your general dentist or a specialist in dental restoration called a prosthodontist can perform the procedure. When you receive a crown at Horizon Family Dentistry, your dentist follows these steps during your first visit:
- Administering a local anesthetic
- Filing down the tooth that needs to be restored to make room for the crown
- Making an impression of the tooth and nearby teeth to custom fabricate your new crown
- Placing a temporary crown to protect your filed tooth until your permanent crown is ready
- Building the new crown based on the impression to fit your mouth
When you return for your final crown, the dentists checks the fit, shape, colour and bite before cementing it permanently into place. If you need special gum treatments or a root canal, you may need more than two and longer dentist’s visits before you receive your permanent crown.