Dental crowns are appliances that Dr. Gaunt may use to repair and protect a cracked or broken tooth. Some damage is too extensive for dental bonding and requires more support. The crown is custom designed and made to fit on a specific tooth that has sustained damage. They can also be used to support some dental restoration appliances. Downriver Smiles offers natural-appearing crowns to repair teeth in Spokane, WA.
Restore Cracked or Damaged Teeth
When a tooth sustains damage from impact or decay, it must be repaired to prevent infection and possible tooth loss. Bacteria can enter the tooth through cracks or breaks and cause infection that impacts the nerves and surrounding gums. This causes pain and even worse dental problems, requiring more extensive oral treatments to solve.
Placing a crown over a damaged tooth closes off the opening to prevent infection and provides a strong covering to protect the tooth from further damage. At Downriver Smiles, we use 3D cone beam scanning to create a digital model of your tooth. This image is sent to a dental lab to create a custom crown. Modern crowns are made from material that is color-matched to your other teeth, so they make discreet repairs. No one can tell you have a dental crown. When it is ready, Dr. Gaunt prepares your tooth and bonds the crown into place.
Dental Inlays and Onlays
Some tooth damage is not quite extensive enough to need an entire dental crown. In these cases, Dr. Gaunt may elect to use dental inlays or onlays instead. These are, in effect, partial crowns that only cover a portion of the tooth. They are also made in a dental lab from a digital image, and are color-matched to your other teeth. Dr. Gaunt bonds them into place similar to attaching a dental crown.
When you need a cracked or broken tooth repaired in Spokane, Downriver Smiles offers custom dental crowns, onlays and inlays made with 3D imaging – no more messy molds in your mouth! Contact our dental office today to schedule an appointment, and ask about dental insurance we accept or other financing options.