What to Expect When Getting a Dental Crown
Initial consultation
Your dentist will first carry out a comprehensive dental examination, which will include taking a series of localised dental X-rays to assess the condition of your teeth. Whether it was a concern related to recurrent pain, damage or injury to your tooth or teeth, or an aesthetic issue you have with marks, discolouration, or the shape of your teeth that brings you to our clinic, at this initial consultation your dentist will discuss these concerns with you in full.
Your dentist’s assessment will be based on their technical examination and analysis of your teeth, mouth, and jaw, and fully guided by your preferences and treatment goals and any issues you have raised with your teeth. Your dentist will recommend which crown type and material is best suited to achieve your smile goals, and will at this stage devise a detailed treatment plan for you laying out the full timeframe for completing your treatment with dental crowns, and including a breakdown of all costs involved. They will take the time to go through Truly Dental’s payment plan options with you, and at any point our front of house team is available to you to discuss these various plans to find the best method for you to make the cost of your treatment achievable and manageable.
Tooth preparation
After your initial consultation and once you are happy to proceed with the proposed treatment plan you will be scheduled in for your first of (usually) two appointments for your new dental crown to be placed.
Your first appointment involves your dentist preparing the planned teeth to receive crowns. Your dentist will ensure your mouth is completely numbed before beginning any procedure on your teeth, including this first crown-preparation, so you will feel no pain or discomfort during any stage of your treatment plan – in fact you will feel little more than gentle vibrations and some pressure as your dentist works.
During this appointment we will use a high-tech 3D scanner to take a digital impression of your teeth, which removes the need for uncomfortable mouth moulds. This scan is then sent off-site to our dental lab technician who will hand craft your custom-made crowns, in a process that can take between 2 and 4 weeks.
There is no need for you to struggle with any upsetting or unsightly gaps in your smile during this period of awaiting your new, permanent crowns, and so at the end of this first visit your dentist will fit you with a temporary crown or crowns. These will be glued in place with a temporary dental cement, to protect the root of your original tooth while you await the fabrication of your completed crowns.
Fitting your crown
Once your finished permanent Dental Crown is ready, we will contact you to arrange your second and final appointment to have this restoration fitted.
At this appointment your dentist will remove the temporary crown and clean your tooth. The new crown will be tried in place to ensure an adequate and correct fit. You will be shown your crown at this stage, and once you are happy with the fit, feel, and appearance of your new crown it is bonded in place using a permanent dental cement.
Finally, any excess bonding agent is removed, and a last check of your new crown’s appearance, fit, and bite is carried out, and you will be ready to show off your new and improved smile to the world.