If you have a tooth that has been damaged due to trauma or decay, you may have decided on a crown. Getting a crown will help restore your tooth to its normal function.
However, in the meantime, you may need to have a temporary crown installed. Here are some reasons to get a temporary crown—even if you have already made plans for a permanent one.
A Temporary Crown Will Protect Your Tooth
To fashion a crown, we will take an impression of your teeth to help us get the size and shape of the crown. However, before the crown can actually be installed, we will have to remove a portion of your original tooth. This means some of the hard outer layer (called the “enamel”) will be removed, leaving the softer layer (called the “dentin”) exposed.
Exposed dentin can be sensitive to heat and cold, and is of course much more susceptible to damage from wear and tear. For this reason, we will prepare a temporary crown to fit over your tooth and protect it while we are fabricating the actual permanent crown.
In addition to protecting your tooth from discomfort, the temporary crown serves another very important purpose. It will keep your prepared tooth from shifting around in the gum tissue. If your tooth shifts while your permanent crown is being prepared, it can make it challenging (or even impossible) to put the crown on once it is ready. This can be prevented by putting a temporary crown on your prepared tooth.
Questions About Your Crown?
As always, we want you to know we are here to help you through every step of the process. We take your oral health very seriously, and we want you to be informed about what we are doing and why we are doing it. So please, if you have any questions, call us!