What is a Dental Crown?

You may have heard the term floating around at your dentist's office, but do you know what a dental crown is? While regular flossing, brushing and rinsing with mouthwash should lessen your chances of needing a crown, it never hurts to gain more information about oral health.

What it is

A crown is basically a cap that is put on top of a tooth to restore its size, appearance and strength. It is cemented into place and fully covers the entire tooth underneath, from the gum line up.

When it's needed

Dentists recommend crowns for a number of reasons, including to protect a weak or cracked tooth from damage, to cover a misshapen or discolored tooth, to cover or support a tooth with a large filling, to hold a dental bridge in place or to protect a tooth from decay.

Types of crowns

There are several materials used to make crowns, each of which has benefits and drawbacks. For example, a crown can be made out of metal, porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, resin, acrylic or ceramic. There are also temporary and permanent crowns.