How Long Do Ceramic Crowns Last?
Exercising and maintaining proper dental hygiene is a never-ending commitment, and with a simple brief lapse in your daily brushing or cleaning damaging plaque will immediately build up. If you do not have your dentist treat the damaged tooth and have the cavity filled, it will progressively get worse to the point that a dental crown will be necessary.
There are other times when your dentist could recommend a crown, such as damage from an accident, playing sports, or tripping and falling.
What are Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are quite common and popular in dentistry, and they are literally like a cap that fits over the tooth. Dental fillings can quickly solve many problems, and any issues they cannot correct, dental crowns are the next option often recommended.
The easiest way to describe a crown is that it is a custom cap for your tooth. The crown fits snuggly on the damaged tooth and is fabricated to match the natural shape of the original tooth. Crowns can help you achieve many things, such as improving your tooth’s:
- Appearance.
- Natural Strength.
- Original size and natural shape.
A crown will first require an impression made of the tooth. The impression is usually sent to a dental lab that will custom fabricate the crown, but your dentist could have the ability to make crowns in-house.
While you are waiting for the final crown, a temporary crown is most often placed on the tooth for protection. When the crown is completed, the dentist removes the temporary crown, ensures that the crown fits correctly and then cements the crown in place. The crown covers the entire visible portion of the tooth.
When Do You Need a Dental Crown?
When decay has become so severe to the point where a root canal is required a crown may be placed to strengthen the structural integrity of the tooth. There are a variety of reasons why you may need a crown, including:
- A broken tooth.
- Severe tooth damage.
- A Misshapen tooth.
- To attach a bridge to the neighboring teeth.
- Tooth cracks and chips.
You could also need a crown for cosmetic reasons, like if a tooth is severely discolored, or to complete a dental implant.
How Long Do Ceramic Crowns Last?
Dental crowns will not last a lifetime, but with proper hygiene, they can easily last 15 to 30 years. Gold crowns can last quite a long time, but they are expensive and not used very often.
When your dentist recommends the placement of a dental crown, a ceramic crown is a popular choice to protect and save a tooth or restore the natural appearance of your tooth.
Wear and tear are completely natural, and it could cause your crown to weaken and break. If you enjoy a lot of nuts there is a higher risk of wear because of the increase in biting pressures. Since we all have varied diets and different dental hygiene practices, it is difficult to specifically pinpoint the lifespan of your ceramic crown.
If you want to maximize the life expectancy of your ceramic crown, you should:
- Maintain proper oral hygiene with daily brushing and flossing.
- Reduce your consumption of harder foods.
- Wear a mouthguard or nightguard if you grind or clench your teeth.