Advice From Boise Dentists: 4 Signs You Need a Dental Crown

Ever wondered why you really need to get a dental crown? Aside from replacing a lost tooth with a dental implant, there are at least four signs that you need a dental crown:

1. You Are Getting a Root Canal

A root canal means that infection has found its way to the nerve of a tooth, killing the tooth and causing an infection at its root. At our office a dentist, Boise trained and based, will drain the tooth and fill the root to seal it off, but we usually recommend a crown to finish the treatment. After a root canal, the tooth is dead and is therefore more brittle and easier to break. If the tooth has already had a few cavities (and most teeth that require root canals have), it will be even more susceptible to breaking. A crown will give it an extra seal of protection and added strength.

2. Our Boise Dentists Found a Deep Crack in the Tooth

As you’ll hear from our own dentist, Boise patients with a cracked tooth do not always need a dental crown. However, if you do have a cracked tooth, you need to see one of our Boise dentists as soon as possible to see how bad of a crack it is. Our dentists will make sure that the crack is confined and does not reach the nerve and kill the tooth. Deeper cracks require a crown to protect the tooth and to keep the tooth and its root strong.

3. Your Tooth Has Chipped

If your tooth has chipped in the simple course of everyday (that is, without any injury or trauma causing it to chip), it is a good sign that you need a tooth crown. Boise dentists will tell you that strong and healthy teeth don’t chip. Fragile, crumbling teeth do. If your tooth is starting to fall apart just due to everyday use, our Boise dentists will add a crown to protect as much of the tooth as possible and to keep the root of the tooth strong and healthy. Left alone, the tooth can continue to crumble, get infected, and be lost entirely.

4. A Dentist, Boise Trained, Has Found Too Many Cavities on One Tooth

The more cavities you have on a tooth, the more its strength is compromised. This can come from several medium sized cavities or just one very large one—if a single cavity covers more than half the width of a tooth, a filling won’t do. You’ll need a dental crown.

Still have questions about Boise crowns? We have a dentist in Boise that will happily answer your questions!

Resources:

http://www.medicinenet.com/dental_crowns/page2.htm

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/repairing-a-chipped-or-broken-tooth