Dental Crowns – Williamsville, NY
Rebuilding Beautiful, Healthy Teeth
When composite fillings aren’t enough to restore teeth, a more robust and realistic solution becomes necessary—dental crowns. At Amherst Dental Group, our team enjoys being able to create these needed restorations for patients so that they can enjoy renewed aesthetic value and function that our crowns offer. We always ensure that these restorations are as precise and personalized as possible, as well. You’ll be amazed by how much stronger and happier your smile will feel!
Why Choose Amherst Dental Group for Dental Crowns?
- Intraoral Scanner for Comfortable, Accurate Impressions
- Realistic, Metal-Free Porcelain Materials
- Customized Crowns for the Perfect Fit
What is a Dental Crown?
Crowns are designed to “cap” over the top portion, including the biting surface, of a certain tooth, protecting and rebuilding the natural structure. They can be used in a variety of situations, including:
- Decay that’s too severe to effectively treat with a filling
- A direct injury that leaves the tooth fractured or cracked
- General weakening over time
- Purely aesthetic concerns regarding shade or shape
- The finishing touch for a dental implant or root canal procedure
The Dental Crown Process
Typically, it will take at least two appointments to receive your new dental crown. During your first visit, one of our skilled doctors will prepare the affected tooth by removing the damaged structure and take impressions to send off to a trusted, nearby lab. These impressions are taken with our iTero intraoral scanner, which captures precise measurements without the putty.
Meanwhile, you will wear a temporary crown over the tooth to protect it temporarily. The technicians at the lab will custom craft your crown for your unique mouth, which usually takes a couple of weeks. Once our Williamsville location has received the finished product, we’ll securely place it and confirm that you’re happy with the result.
The Benefits of Getting a Dental Crown
As a restoration, dental crowns provide quite a versatile solution to many problems, but they offer other benefits as well, including these:
- Dental crowns can be shaded to blend in perfectly with the surrounding teeth.
- Digital impressions usually are more exact, which means you’ll get a precise fit.
- Dental crowns are durable, usually lasting about 10 to 15 years with proper maintenance.
- Dental crowns give teeth more stability and strength and protect the teeth underneath from further damage or decay.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Crowns
Before getting one or more dental crowns, you may wonder about how much money it will cost. Unfortunately, until we’ve had the opportunity to put together your treatment plan, we can’t give even a ballpark estimate because we don’t treat each unique patient with cookie-cutter services. For the best financial information about crowns, ask us in person when you come for your appointment.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Dental Crowns
Multiple considerations go into calculating the price of your crown. For instance, a crown for a molar is different from a front tooth because they serve different purposes and experience different forces. Molars are used for grinding food and usually have a greater amount of pressure on them. As a result, the cost may be more.
In addition, the number and materials of crowns you receive will affect the total you pay. Most of our crowns consist of metal-free porcelain, but for some patients we take advantage of porcelain fused to metal for extra reinforcement.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?
Basically, all dental insurance policies will cover a portion of the cost for dental crowns, but they may not pay the same percentage. In general, insurance plans contribute about 50 percent of the cost, which means that the remaining 50 percent is your responsibility to pay. When we create your treatment plan, we will take a close look at your policy to see what benefits you have available and how you can use it to your advantage.
Options for Making Dental Crowns Affordable
If the amount you have left after insurance is more than you’d like to pay at one time, we can help you apply for CareCredit financing. If you qualify, you could get a low interest rate. This option allows you to pay toward the total over several months, which can bring down your stress and worry. This way, your dental crown(s) can easily fit into your budget.
Dental Crowns FAQs
Does Getting a Dental Crown Hurt?
The thought of having tooth structure removed may seem intimidating, but before we touch it, we’ll give you a local anesthetic, which will make the entire area feel numb. Unable to feel the work in your mouth, you should remain comfortable throughout the procedure. When it wears off, the tooth or the surrounding gums may feel sensitive, especially with a generic temporary crown. However, once your custom crown is bonded into place, this sensitivity should decline after a day or two.
How Should Dental Crowns Be Maintained?
Although the metal-free crowns are not susceptible to decay, the teeth they’re attached to are, which means that you still need to keep your crown clean and well maintained. Fortunately, caring for crowns and teeth looks exactly the same. Daily brushing and flossing along with regular checkups and cleanings with our team will ensure that your crown stays in excellent condition for as long as possible.
What Should I Do If My Dental Crown Comes Out?
The bonding material we use to attach your dental crown is extremely strong, but accidents happen! If you lose your dental crown, you need to call us immediately. You can temporarily hold the crown in place by putting a dab of toothpaste on the restoration before repositioning it onto the tooth. Depending on the damage it sustains, we may be able simply to bond it back on the tooth, or we may have to replace it.
Are Dental Crowns Safe for an MRI?
If you need to receive an MRI for whatever reason, you can rest assured that your metal-free crown will not interfere with the image quality. Your physician and the radiologist should be able to read the scan clearly without needing to worry about distortions from metal materials in your mouth.