How Long Do Ceramic Crowns Last?
Practicing and maintaining proper dental hygiene at home is a never-ending commitment, and with any simple lapses in your daily regimen, plaque will immediately build up. If you do not have the damaged tooth treated and have the cavity filled, it will progressively worsen to a condition where a dental crown is necessary.
There are other occasions when your dentist may recommend a crown, such as damage from an accident, playing contact sports, or simply tripping and falling.
What are Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are quite popular and common in dentistry, and they are precisely like a cap that fits over the tooth. Dental fillings will quickly solve many issues, and if any problems cannot be corrected, dental crowns will be the next option often recommended.
The simplest way to describe a dental crown is that it is a custom cap for your tooth. The crown fits snuggly on the surface of the damaged tooth and is created to match the shape of the natural tooth. Crowns will help you achieve several features, such as improving your teeth’s:
- Appearance.
- Natural Strength and functionality.
- Original size and natural shape.
A crown first requires an impression made of the original tooth. The impression is sent to a dental lab, which custom-fabricates the crown, but your dentist might have the ability to make crowns in-house.
While you wait for your final custom crown, a temporary crown is quite often placed on the tooth for protection. When the crown is finished, the dentist will remove the temporary crown, making sure the final crown fits properly, and then cements the crown permanently in place. The crown will cover the entire visible part of the tooth.
When Do You Need a Dental Crown?
If decay has progressed to the point where a root canal is necessary, a crown usually is placed to strengthen the structural integrity of the tooth. There are several reasons why you might need a crown, including:
- A broken tooth.
- Severe tooth damage.
- Tooth cracks and chips.
- A misshapen tooth.
- To attach a traditional bridge to the neighboring teeth.
You might also need a crown for cosmetic reasons, such as if your tooth is severely discolored, or for the completion of a dental implant.
How Long Do Ceramic Crowns Last?
Dental crowns may not last a lifetime, but with proper hygiene, they might easily last 15 to 30 years. Gold crowns can last a long time, but they are expensive and not used often.
When your dentist does recommend the placement of a dental crown, a ceramic crown is the popular choice to both protect and save your tooth and to restore the natural appearance of your tooth.
Wear and tear are natural, and they might cause your crown to weaken and even break. If you enjoy eating nuts, there is a higher risk of damage due to the increase in biting pressures. Because we all have different diets and dental hygiene practices, it is difficult to pinpoint the specific lifespan of your ceramic crown.
If you would like to maximize the life expectancy of your ceramic crown, you should:
- Always maintain proper oral hygiene with daily brushing and flossing.
- Monitor and reduce your consumption of harder foods.
- Wear a mouthguard for sports or a nightguard if you grind or clench your teeth.