General Dentist Airdrie
Dental Crown Procedure

We recommend that our patients in Airdrie Alberta who have a broken tooth or a large filling in a tooth to consider getting a crown to restore the shape, function, and appearance of the tooth.

Other instances when we recommend crowns include: to attach bridges and protect weak teeth so they don’t break, and to cover implants and root canals so you can have a natural-looking smile. Besides these, dental crowns can be used to:

• Restore misshapen teeth
• Strengthen weak teeth
• Repair damaged teeth
• Support a dental bridge
• Change the appearance of a severely discoloured tooth

So, what is a dental crown?

Also known as dental caps, tooth crowns cover damaged teeth, giving them a new surface, renewed strength, and restored function. Consequently, they help to prolong the life of damaged teeth.

The dental crown procedure

The tooth crown procedure is typically done in two appointments: the first one is the preparation appointment, followed by the seating appointment. We also provide the option for same-day crowns, whereby everything is done in a single appointment, and you go home the same day with a fully restored tooth.

The procedure for a two-appointment restoration is as follows:

Step 1: Preparation

During the first appointment, we shall prepare the damaged tooth by reducing the top and all sides to remove any decay and create space for the crown.

Step 2: Crown Build up

After removing the decay and reducing the tooth, it will have lost a considerable amount of tooth structure, giving it an unusual shape. So, we usually perform a crown build up, which is similar to a tooth filling, in order to give the tooth enough material to form a shape that can support the cap.

Step 3: The Impression

We will use intra-oral scanners to capture images of your teeth, which will be used to design your crown using computer-aided design (CAD) software. If done traditionally, we would have to take a mould or impression of the tooth and send it to the dental lab, where they would create an identical model of your tooth and use it to fabricate the crown.

Step 4: Temporary Crown

During the first appointment, a temporary crown will be made and cemented onto the tooth. This crown is intended to last between 2 and 3 weeks, when the final and permanent crown will be seated at your second appointment. The temporary crown offers a number of benefits, including:

• Protecting the tooth from fracture
• Reducing sensitivity
• Maintaining the space between adjacent teeth

Step 5: Shade selection

Before the final crown is fabricated, you will select the colour to make your crown.

Step 6: The Seating

During your second appointment, the temporary crown will be removed and the permanent crown fitted and cemented onto the tooth.

It is important to note that crowns can be fabricated from different materials, which will affect the dental crown cost the most. Most of our patients prefer porcelain crowns for aesthetics, though you can choose other materials depending on the position of the crown.