Dental Crowns – Alexandria, IN
Making Damaged Teeth Function and Look Better
Although the thought of receiving a dental crown in Alexandria can seem daunting, these are incredibly versatile and effective restorations that help preserve your natural teeth and improve your oral health. At Martinez Dentistry, we pay close attention to detail to craft beautiful and comfortable dental crowns that improve the function and aesthetic appearance of your teeth. That way, you can smile and laugh with complete confidence that your restoration won’t stick out like a sore thumb. We also can complete the process in a single appointment using the latest technology that the dental world has to offer, called CEREC. It’s a digital software system that allows us to craft a beautiful restoration without making you come back for second visit.
What are Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are customized “caps” that are structured to fit over the visible biting-surface of your damaged tooth to protect and shield it. They act to alter the shape, size, and structure of teeth, making it easier and less uncomfortable to eat and speak.
At Martinez Dentistry, we can craft crowns from a variety of materials, but most patients prefer natural-looking porcelain or ceramic restorations that are able to mimic the appearance of home-grown enamel. That way, nobody will be able to notice that you have a restoration. Not only are these materials exquisite in appearance, but they’re also incredibly durable and long-lasting.
Why Do You Need a Dental Crown?
Dental crowns are versatile caps that are ideal for solving a variety of oral problems that are both cosmetic and restorative in nature. Some common reasons we may suggest dental crowns as a treatment include:
- Severe Dental Decay: Large fillings located in teeth that are severely decayed may require additional support and protection from dental crowns.
- Dental Trauma: If a tooth is deeply cracked or severely broken, dental crowns will help hold them together and allow you to chew without experiencing intense discomfort.
- Root Canal Therapy: After the inner portion of your tooth has been sanitized, your dentist will fill and cover it with a crown to restore the function of it and protect it from additional damage.
- Discolored or Misshapen Teeth: Crowns can also be used to conceal unappealing cosmetic flaws to make your smile appear more uniform.
The Process of Getting a Dental Crown
When you receive a dental crown from Martinez Dentistry, you can rest assured that you’ll be getting a high-quality and precisely fitted restoration that will last. We use the latest CEREC dental software to make our own restorations in-office. That way, you don’t have to worry about coming back for a second appointment.
We’ll prepare your tooth for a crown by removing a small outer-layer of it to accommodate the thickness of the cap. We’ll take digital impressions of your mouth so we can acquire accurate and precise measurements to input into our milling machine. Once our machine has sculpted your crown, we’ll permanently place it during that same appointment, eliminating the need for a temporary restoration.
Tips to Make Your Crown Last Longer
After investing in a customized dental crown, you’ll want to maintain it to extend its lifespan. You can do this by following some of these care tips:
- Maintain a thorough dental hygiene routine at home.
- Avoid chewy and sticky foods that could damage your crown.
- Schedule routine checkups and cleanings to ensure the health of your restoration.
If you have any questions or would like more recommendations on how you can take care of your crown, contact our office or schedule an appointment today!
Understanding the Cost of Dental Crowns
Like many oral health treatments, the process of having a dental crown placed doesn’t come with a fixed price. The amount that each patient pays will be different, and our team will need to consider the relevant factors carefully before coming up with an estimate. That said, we don’t want you to stress too much over whether you will be able to fit a dental crown into your budget; we’re more than happy to work with you to make sure that the treatment is as affordable as possible.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Dental Crowns
First of all, the number of crowns is important; obviously, you won’t pay as much for a single crown as you would for multiple crowns. On top of that, sometimes there may be preliminary treatments to think about. This means you may end up paying for another procedure in addition to the dental crown, like dental implant placement or root canal treatment.
The type of crown also matters. Our practice offers both porcelain crowns and ceramic crowns. The material used to make the restoration will ultimately end up influencing its overall cost. High-quality materials typically cost more, but at the same time, you can often expect them to last longer, making it less likely that you will need to pay for a replacement sooner than you planned.
Finally, the method of making the crown will need to be considered. A crown made via traditional means will have a different price tag compared to one made in-office via the CEREC system.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?
The majority of dental insurance plans do provide at least some coverage for crowns. The exact amount of coverage depends on what policy you have as well as other variables, such as whether you have already met your deductible for the year. In many cases, your insurance company may pay around 50% of the cost of a dental crown.
Are you not sure that you fully understand the details of your dental insurance plan? It may be a good idea to get in touch with your provider and see what they have to say. Also, one of our team members can review your insurance plan with you and go over the points that may have you feeling confused.
Options for Making Dental Crowns Affordable
If you can’t rely on dental insurance to help you pay for your dental crown, it may be a good idea to come up with an alternative plan for managing the cost of the treatment. In many cases, we may suggest applying for CareCredit. You can pick from one of several financing plans that let you break up the cost of your care. There are various plan lengths to choose from, and the shortest ones don’t have any interest to worry about. Give our team a call if you would like more information about CareCredit and how it works at our practice.
Dental Crown FAQs
Dental crowns are a relatively common treatment, but if you’ve never gotten one before you’d be forgiven for not understanding everything there is to know about how they work. We get questions all the time from our patients about all kinds of treatments, and we make it a point to ensure that everyone we work with is as informed as possible about their treatment.
For example, here are a few of the questions we get often about dental crowns.
How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?
Depending on a few factors, you can expect your dental crowns to last anywhere between five and fifteen years. Material plays a role in this—metal dental crowns last a bit longer than ceramic ones—but the most important factor is how well you care for your dental crown.
If you want your restorations to last as long as possible, you should be sure that your dental hygiene is up to snuff and see us at least twice a year for regular checkups.
Do Dental Crowns Get Cavities?
In most cases, the dental crown itself is unlikely to develop cavities. What’s more common is for the tooth underneath the crown to suffer from decay—in fact, a crowned tooth has about the same chances of developing a cavity as an uncapped one.
That’s why it’s important to take care of your dental crown just the same as you would the rest of your teeth.
Are Dental Crowns Safe for MRI?
This is an understandable concern, but it’s a problem that modern dental patients rarely run into. First of all, ceramic dental crowns are more of the norm nowadays. However, even today’s metal dental crowns are made without metals that could trigger an MRI.
However, if you have a metal dental crown, it’s still generally a good idea to tell the MRI technician beforehand to ensure that there aren’t any complications.
Are Dental Crowns Covered by Insurance?
Every dental plan is different, which makes it hard to answer this question straightforwardly. However, in most cases, dental crowns are considered to be a necessary restorative procedure. Dental plans will often cover around 50% of dental crown treatment provided that you’ve paid your deductible.
However, if you’re only getting dental crowns for cosmetic reasons, you may not be able to get the coverage you’d expect. In either case, we’ll help you fill out the paperwork so that you can make the most of your benefits.