Do you have a damaged or an injured tooth that requires dental care? Are you looking for a natural-looking dental restoration? Dr. Matthew Gerald provides dental crown treatments in his Vienna, VA dental office. Our dental crowns are ceramic or porcelain tooth caps that repair stained, chipped, cracked, worn, and weak teeth. Tooth crowns may also cap off dental implants, or prosthetic teeth.
As a restorative dental treatment, dental crowns revitalize the look and function of our patient’s smiles. They are long-lasting and can help preserve the natural bite when a damaged or decayed tooth is causing issues. Continue reading to learn about the dental crown process, who qualifies for this treatment, and more.
Am I a Candidate For Dental Crowns?
Whether or not you are a candidate for dental crowns depends on several factors, such as the size, shape and condition of your teeth that need treatment, the health of your gums and the strength of your bite. Dr. Gerald may recommend a dental crown if you have a badly damaged tooth, a large filling, decayed teeth, cracked or broken teeth.
The majority of our patients are good candidates for dental crown treatment. This is because Dr. Gerald and his dental team can treat problems like tooth loss or gum disease beforehand so that the dental crown procedure is successful and lasts.
The best way to find out if you are a candidate for dental crowns is to talk to our dentist. Dr. Gerald will be able to assess the state of your teeth and advise you as to whether or not a dental crown is the best treatment for you. He will take factors such as tooth decay, fractures, or damage into consideration in order to determine if you are a good candidate for dental crowns.
Dental Crown Treatment in Vienna, VA
Dental crowns are an effective way to restore the strength, shape, and appearance of damaged teeth. This treatment involves placing a custom-made cap on the affected tooth to protect it from further damage and improve its look. Dr. Gerald creates treatment plans tailored to our patients dental concerns. Our dental crown process is easy, quick, and painless.
First, Dr. Gerald will conduct a thorough dental exam and cleaning prior to the crown placement. He will use this time to create the treatment plan and provide feedback as to whether you need other treatments or not. Next, our dentist will prepare the affected tooth or teeth by removing the damage, or infection, and thoroughly cleaning the affected tooth. Dr. Gerald will remove any decay and properly shape the surface to ensure that it fits perfectly. This process is crucial in ensuring that your new crown provides adequate support and protection to your tooth.
Then Dr. Gerald will take dental impressions of your teeth using the Trios 5 scanner for your comfort. The digital scanner will create 3D images of your mouth without using mouth putty! He will then send the digital impression to a dental lab. The lab will fabricate the crowns from porcelain ceramic using your exact measurements.
Once the new custom crown is complete, we will call you back into our office to attach it to your teeth. We will place it on your tooth and check your bite to make sure that the crown fits properly and feels comfortable. We may adjust it if necessary. If all goes well, Dr. Gerald will cement it into place. Finally, we will check your gums and surrounding teeth for any signs of irritation. You will leave our office with a bright new smile that you can use immediately!
Implant-supported Crowns
Dr. Gerald also provides dental crowns for dental implant restorations. If you are receiving a single dental implant or an implant restoration for missing teeth, we will wait until your mouth fully heals and then cap them off with crowns. A crown can cap off a dental implant to replace one single missing tooth. To learn more about our dental implant services, visit Dental implants.
Implants fuse with the bone tissue to create functional restorations for missing teeth. We may also provide bone and tissue grafting to ensure that the tooth implants and crowns are stable. We will work with you to discover which treatments you need in order to receive your dental crowns or crown-capped implants.
The Benefits of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are an effective way to restore damaged or decayed teeth and provide additional protection against future damage. They also help improve the overall appearance of your mouth, making them an ideal choice for those looking for aesthetic improvements in addition to preventive care.
A porcelain dental crowns treatment offers a variety of benefits to our patients. Some of the benefits include the following:
- Preserves your natural tooth and protects it from extraction.
- Restore the natural look of your teeth in a single visit.
- Restores a tooth after a root canal.
- Provide long-lasting treatment.
- Permanently strengthens weakened teeth.
- Blends in with the shade of your other teeth.
- Protects teeth from further damage.
- Brightens your smile.
Please contact our office if you have stubborn tooth stains or worn teeth that require extra support. Dr. Gerald and his professional dental team in our Vienna, VA, dentist office offer custom treatment for dental crowns to ensure the best end result. With regular visits to a dentist near you, you can benefit from the protection offered by dental crowns and maintain optimal oral health.
What are Inlays and Onlays?
Although they are similar to dental crowns and tooth fillings, inlays and onlays cover different areas of the tooth. Inlays fill in the area within the tooth cusps, or raised sides of the teeth. Inlays can help restore teeth that have experienced decay or trauma and can help preserve healthy tooth structure for longer-lasting results.
Onlays are similar to inlays, but are larger and cover one or more of the cusps on a tooth. A dentist typically uses an onlay on an extensively damaged tooth where a filling cannot fully restore it. Onlays are sometimes called partial crowns because they cover a lot of the tooth. However, they do not cover the whole tooth.
Like our dental crowns, our inlays and onlays consist of porcelain ceramic. Because of this, they easily blend in with the rest of your smile and offer durability to the surface of the treated tooth.
Are you ready to take the next step with dental crowns? Schedule a dental appointment today on our website. You may also call our Vienna dental office at (703) 721-4796. Dr. Gerald helps patients from Northern Virginia, Oakton, Fairfax, and Falls Church.