Dental Crowns – Jonesboro, AR
Protective Caps for Pearly Whites
Maybe you have decayed or damaged teeth. If so, there’s nothing to be ashamed of – even the most careful people can suffer tooth decay. Still, you don’t simply have to endure your situation. There happens to be an ideal solution for your problem: dental crowns in Jonesboro! Here at Woodsprings Family Dentistry, these dental caps readily repair all sorts of teeth. Keep reading if you want to learn more about them, or call us for the relevant details.
What is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a special “cap” (of sorts) for a weak or damaged tooth. In particular, it’s used to protect and restore said tooth from further decay or harm.
Given this role, ideal crown candidates usually have one (or more) of the following:
- A very worn-down or broken tooth
- Cavities that can’t be treated with a filling
- A root-canal-treated tooth that needs a cover
- Teeth that are misshapen or discolored
- A weak smile at risk of future fractures
Of course, you should consult Dr. Yarnell before fully deciding anything. She and her team will assess your smile to determine if a dental crown suits you.
The Dental Crown Process
After the consultation, a regular crown treatment takes two appointments. The first is a “prep” visit, while the second places the final restorations.
Per its name, the “prep” visit prepares your tooth for its future crown. This work mainly consists of removing bits of the pearly white’s enamel. (Removal of enamel ensures the prosthetic will fit snugly.) Once that’s done, the dental team will take an impression of your prepared tooth. Lab technicians will use the resulting model to craft the final crown. Until it’s ready, though, you’ll wear a temporary one.
At the second appointment, the dentist will place your permanent crown. This placement usually doesn’t take long, nor does it require sedation. Once fully in place, our office will polish and adjust the crown accordingly. You’ll then be ready to enjoy your newly restored smile!
Of course, you can avoid this multi-week process by getting one of our CEREC® one-visit crowns. This kind can be crafted in just one day! As such, it’d be ready for placement right after the prep work.
The Benefits of Getting a Dental Crown
Left untended, your decayed or damaged tooth will trigger long-term oral issues. However, things would change if you get a dental crown. You could then expect benefits like:
- Crucial Protection: A crown protects an at-risk tooth from further harm. In doing so, it helps you avoid the need for a future extraction or root canal therapy.
- Beautiful Looks: Thanks to their porcelain material, our dental crowns are tooth-colored and lifelike. That means they blend seamlessly with the rest of your smile.
- Versatile Care: A crown’s versatility allows it to fix several kinds of oral problems. These include cavities, tooth chips, fractures, and more!
- Lasting Results: On average, a dental crown lasts between five and 15 years. With proper care, though, this lifespan can extend even further.
Dental Crown FAQs
What Happens If You Wait Too Long to Get a Dental Crown?
We don’t believe in recommending patients treatments that they don’t really need. If you’ve been told by us or another dentist that you need a dental crown, this is usually because of damage to the tooth that could cause serious problems if left untreated.
If you delay getting a necessary dental crown, a condition that could previously have been dealt with easily may get worse, necessitating a root canal or extraction.
How Do You Know When a Dental Crown Needs to Be Replaced?
Dental crowns often last well over a decade, but everything needs to be replaced eventually. The only way to know for sure that it’s time to swap out your restoration is to have an x-ray taken of it, but here are a few indicators that your dental crown could be at the end of its lifespan:
- You notice your crown wiggles or feels loose
- There’s visible damage to your crown
- You feel discomfort in the crowned tooth
- A dark line at the base of a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown
Are Dental Crowns Safe for MRI?
As you may imagine, whether it’s safe to take your dental crown into an MRI depends on the material it’s made out of. The crowns we provide to our patients are made of porcelain, which means that there’s no risk of issues.
If you have a metal crown, that could present a problem depending on how old it is. Many newer metal crowns don’t contain magnetic substances, which means that they won’t be an issue. Older ones, however, sometimes do.
If you have a metal dental crown, it’s usually worth mentioning this to the MRI technician just in case. While not dangerous to you, it could interfere with the images that are taken. You may also consider getting a metal-free dental crown from us if you want to avoid this issue entirely.
Are Dental Crowns Covered by Insurance?
Every dental plan is different, but if your dental crown is medically necessary most insurance companies will cover a portion of the procedure. Provided that you’ve met your deductible and have yet to exceed your yearly maximum, you can often expect your dental plan to pay for around 50% of the total cost of your restoration.
Of course, this can vary greatly from plan to plan. For that reason, you should consult with your insurance company before beginning treatment to make sure you’re getting all the coverage you can.