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An oral exam with Dr. Ebrahimi is necessary to determine if crowns are right for you. X-rays will be taken to rule out active decay and gum disease.
A procedure known as enameloplasty will be performed to prep your tooth for a crown. We will trim and shape your tooth by filing down your tooth proportional to the thickness of the crown. This creates enough space for the crown and prevents it from sticking out.
After filing your tooth down, we will take impressions of your teeth. These impressions are sent to a dental lab for crown fabrication. A shade guide is used to match the crown to your natural teeth.
Crown fabrication can take a few weeks. An immediate temporary crown will be placed over your filed-down tooth for protection and durability. This will be removed at your next appointment.
Once your official crown is ready, you’ll return for another appointment and we will check the appearance and fit of the crown to make sure you’re happy with it. Then, we’ll bond the crown to your tooth with dental cement.
After taking a mold of your tooth, this is sent to a dental lab that creates your custom-made dental crown out of the specified materials for your needs.
This includes porcelain or ceramic for tooth-colored crowns or metal crowns for high durability and strength in the back teeth, or zirconia or porcelain-fused-to-metal for a combination of strength and aesthetics.
You will be given a temporary dental crown to restore your smile and protect your tooth after performing an enameloplasty that will remove a significant portion of your tooth in preparation for your official crown.
After a few weeks, we will remove the temporary crown and bond your official lab-made crown to your tooth. These crowns have a lifespan of 5 to 15 years depending on the material.
Digital x-rays are fast, comfortable, and safe. High-resolution images help us make more accurate diagnoses while exposing you to a fraction of the radiation used by traditional film x-rays. Most patients will get one or two full sets of x-rays each year, but additional imaging may be recommended one if you have a potential issue or if you have experienced a dental emergency.
Fluoride treatments are easy to add to any routine preventive visit, and are great for helping keep dental decay at bay. After your cleaning, your dentist will apply a fluoride-rich varnish or gel to your teeth, and leave it in place for several minutes before rinsing it away. Fluoride helps to strengthen your enamel through a process called “remineralization,” which works by attracting minerals like calcium and phosphates to your teeth, helping to restore their hardness and increase their resistance to acids.
Dental sealants are most commonly recommended for children who may be high-risk for tooth decay, but they’re also a great option for patients of any age who wish to protect themselves from developing cavities. A relatively straight-forward procedure, dental sealants start with the application of dental resin, usually to the rear teeth, as they have more grooves and uneven surfaces where plaque and bacteria can easily hide. A UV light will be used to cure the resin, hardening it and creating a powerful barrier between your enamel and food debris, acid, or bacteria. When applied correctly, dental sealants can last for years!
Many patients struggle with gum disease, and if left untreated, can risk losing their teeth and other problems. Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease, and is the only stage that can actually be reversed with deep cleanings and attentive at-home hygiene. If you have gum disease, keeping up with your regular cleanings and checkups will help you gain control over your oral health before it’s too late!
For patients with more advanced stages of periodontitis, we recommend scheduling deep cleanings at more frequent intervals, usually every three to four months. Although the effects of advanced gum disease can’t be reversed, deep cleanings, scaling, and root planing can halt the progression of periodontitis and help preserve your oral health.
Oral cancer screenings are an important part of every preventive care visit. Catching oral cancer in its early stages allows us to stop it before it spreads, and can save your life. That’s why we’ll always check for signs of oral cancer at every preventive visit.
Your dentist will examine your oral tissues, like your gums and tongue, keeping an eye out for abnormalities like lesions, lumps, discolorations. If we find anything unusual, we’ll take a biopsy and send it out to a specialist for a thorough analysis. Although oral cancer isn’t overly common, it’s important to remain proactive and consistent with your oral healthcare routine, so we can identify any issues before they become major problems.
Teeth grinding and clenching while sleeping is a common issue faced by many patients. Night guards are a great solution for this unconscious clenching, also known as bruxism. Night guards form a soft barrier that protects your teeth from damage caused by the pressure of clenching and grinding. Your dentist will take an impression or a scan of your teeth and gums to create a unique mold that will be sent to a dental lab, where your night guard will be custom-crafted. Night guards work by easing the tension in your jaw, alleviating the painful headaches and other side effects of clenching and grinding, so you can get the sleep you need and keep your teeth from wearing down.
Sports mouth guards are worn over the teeth, just like night guards. However sports guards are designed specifically to protect your smile from dental injuries that are so common when playing high-intensity impact sports. Custom-fitted sports guards can help protect athletes from oral trauma caused by collisions to the mouth, face, and head. If you play football, basketball, baseball, soccer, rugby, hockey, gymnastics, mountain biking, or other activities that put you at risk for injury due from falls, body contact, or flying objects, ask us about getting fitted for a custom sports guard today! Tailored to fit your unique smile, sports guards are comfortable, durable, and won’t stop you from playing the sports you love.
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A crown will restore the appearance of your tooth while protecting it from damage, hold together a broken tooth, and provide enough strength and durability to tolerate chewing forces.
Crowns are commonly placed in the rear molars following root canal treatment because the tooth is significantly weakened as well as when a tooth receives a large filling.
Removing most of the tooth structure will make your tooth significantly vulnerable and in need of additional protection like a crown. Crowns are often used to complete tooth restorations like dental implants or to anchor restorations like dental bridges. If you need a dental crown, don't wait any longer. Contact us online or call us at (714) 957-1044 to schedule an appointment today!
Dental crowns are incredibly effective at restoring teeth damaged from physical impact or extensive dental decay. Dental crowns also alleviate the pain by protecting exposed nerve fibers. They’re also great for balancing your bite for easier chewing.
However, there are some downsides to having this restorative treatment. This includes causing sensitivity and nerve damage in the surrounding teeth. They’re also costlier than procedures like tooth extractions and root canals. Also, it’s common for patients to feel some discomfort and mild pain after the procedure, but this can be managed with store-bought painkillers.
No, getting a dental crown is painless from start to finish. The dentist first uses a local anesthetic to numb the region around the affected teeth. What’s more, most dental crowns are done on teeth with existing dental fillings, meaning the dentist comes nowhere close to the sensitive nerve fibers on the teeth.
However, patients may experience slight movement and pressure during the procedure. This is completely normal and shouldn’t hurt one bit. You might also experience slight pain and discomfort for the first few days after the procedure. Store-bought analgesics will help mitigate this discomfort.
Yes, you can eat after getting a dental crown, but you’ll have to wait for at least 30 to 45 minutes before doing so. You should also avoid chewing on the side with the dental crown for the first couple of weeks after its installation.
That said, you should stick to a diet of soft foods and liquids for the first week after getting the dental crown. Some great foods to eat include eggs, pudding, pasta, broth, and jello. By all means steer clear of hard, crunchy, and gummy foods like ice cubes, raw carrots, popcorn, toffee, caramel, and the likes.
It takes between 2 hours to 2 weeks to get a dental crown. Luckily, patients can get their CEREC same-day crowns on the same day of the appointment. These crowns use a digital 3D scanner to scan your teeth and manufacture your crown right there in the dental facility. The scanning takes about two minutes, while the crown fabrication takes two hours.
Traditional crowns, on the other hand, take longer to get since the dentist must take impressions of your tooth and send impression molds to a lab that takes two weeks to manufacture your crowns.
Dental crowns last between 10 to 15 years, but it's not uncommon for some to last more than 20 years. This longevity depends on a couple of factors, including how much of your natural teeth you have intact. The type of material you used for your dental crown, your oral hygiene, and lifestyle habits.
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