Dental Crowns and Bridges Galloway, OH
Why Would I Need a Dental Crown?
Years of chewing take their toll, especially on teeth that have large fillings or have been filled several times. Sometimes, even teeth that have never been filled just break for one reason or another. Tooth grinding and severe acid reflux are just two conditions that can cause teeth to wear or break, even when there are no cavities! When a tooth breaks and a new filling wouldn’t be expected to last very long, the solution is often a crown.
If you’ve never had a crown before, you’ll probably find it very similar to having a filling done. There’s some drilling involved (with you feeling nice and numb, of course), and then we take digital pictures of your tooth so that often there’s no impression ‘goop’ to deal with. After that, we make a temporary crown that will protect the tooth while your crown is being made. You return for a much shorter appointment when the crown is ready. We make sure the crown fits well and looks good to you, then you get to take it home! Even better, many times this visit doesn’t require any numbing.
Do You Have to Grind it Down to a Nub?
It’s true that we have to remove a small amount of tooth structure to get a tooth ready for a crown. If we don’t, the final crown would be weak in some spots and would feel unnaturally large in others. Fortunately, with today’s strong materials, most of the time we only have to remove about a millimeter of the tooth from the sides and the top. It looks weird at first, but once the temporary crown goes on you don’t actually see what’s underneath.
Dental Bridges: Replacing Missing Teeth
Similar to crowns, we use bridges when there is a gap between two teeth. With the popularity of dental implants, they’re not used quite as often, but they’re still useful in the right situations. If the teeth on either side of the gap need crowns anyways, then we can make a chain of crowns that “bridges the gap” between them. Like a single crown, bridges are cemented into place so they’re in all the time.
Can Dental Crowns Improve My Smile?
Another popular use of crowns is to rejuvenate a mouthful of discolored, chipped, tired looking teeth. In this case, we might cover the teeth with porcelain crowns that look more youthful and feel natural. Depending on your particular situation, we might mix crowns on some teeth with veneers on others so that we only remove as little of your natural tooth as we need to get a great result.
Contact Galloway Smiles To Learn More About Dental Crowns & Bridges
If you have broken or discolored teeth, we’d be happy to discuss your options and help you decide if crowns are right for you. Please feel free to call our Galloway office with any questions or to make an appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
When your dentist recommends a dental crown to restore your tooth, you might wonder why a filling is not enough. Especially since you had a filling last time.
When Dr. Halderman recommends a dental crown, it's typically because the tooth has more decay or is broken beyond the scope of what a filling can safely repair. Unlike a filling that is designed to fix a small portion of your tooth, a crown restores the whole tooth structure so that your root is protected and you still have all the function you had with your natural tooth.
Dental Crowns Can Help Improve Your Smile
Other situations that dental crowns in Galloway are ideal for include:
- To strengthen a tooth that has had root canal therapy
- To anchor a dental bridge on each side
- As a single tooth restoration for a dental implant
- For aesthetic purposes - to cover a tooth that is worn, broken, or discolored
Contact Galloway Smiles Today
Dr. Halderman can typically complete a crown in two visits. At your first visit, he'll prepare your tooth for your new restoration and make a temporary crown for you to wear while your final one is being crafted at a dental lab. It takes one to two weeks to complete your new tooth and then you'll return to Galloway Smiles to have it permanently placed. Now you're ready to share your new tooth with the world!
Meet Our Doctor:
Dr. Josh Halderman
Dr. Josh Halderman is from Centerville, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University for both his dental degree and his undergraduate degree in Zoology. He has practiced in Columbus since 2006 and in 2016 found his permanent home at Galloway Smiles.
Dr. Halderman is passionate about treating his patients like family and constantly improving his techniques and materials. He has additional training in dental implants and sedation to make your dental visit as comfortable as possible.
Outside of the office Dr. Halderman enjoys working out, martial arts, cooking, reading, and spending ...
