The Cosmetic and Non-cosmetic Functions of Dental Crowns

Whoever said “big things come in small packages” had a dental crown in mind. This dental appliance is tiny but has numerous functions in dentistry. Traditionally, dental crowns are used to restore damaged teeth. However, due to their ability to transform the appearance of your smile, dental crowns are also used for cosmetic dental purposes.

Not many dental procedures have the versatility of dental crowns. At Park Avenue Dental, we use dental crowns to resolve several oral issues, including:

• Cover up a severely stained tooth: Professional teeth whitening is the go-to procedure for stained teeth. However, not all teeth respond to teeth bleaching. If teeth whitening can’t lift the dark shade off your severely stained tooth, Dr. Mary Taudel can cover it with a natural-looking dental cap.
• Disguise a rotated or crooked tooth: If you have one or two teeth out of place, you don’t need orthodontic treatment. While a dental crown won’t physically straighten your teeth, it visually changes your alignment for a straighter smile.
• Completing a dental treatment: Once a dental implant has fused with the jawbone, the dentist installs an abutment (connector) to add length to the implant. The final process of an implant-based restoration is to restore the tooth with a tooth prosthesis, such as a dental crown.
• Crowning a tooth after root canal treatment: A root canal involves removing the diseased pulp tissue to save your tooth. Once the tooth’s “internals” are removed, gutta-percha seals out the tooth, but you need a dental crown to restore strength to your tooth.
• Anchoring a dental bridge: A dental bridge is a tooth replacement that depends on the neighboring teeth for support. A dental bridge consists of artificial teeth secured by crowns anchored on the teeth on either side of the gap.
• Strengthen a decayed/weakened tooth: Over years, your teeth may fall victim to injuries, erosion, cavities, and wear and tear. We can use a dental crown to protect the tooth underneath from further damage and possible infection. This way, we can save a tooth that would otherwise be lost.

Would you like to restore or cosmetically improve your smile with a dental crown in New York? Please dial (646) 588-1704 to book an appointment with Park Avenue Dental.