Dental Crowns – Goode, VA
Restoration for Decayed or Damaged Teeth
If you’re experiencing a severely damaged or lost tooth, you’re unable to enjoy the full function and vitality of your smile. Here at White Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, our custom fixed bridges and dental crowns in Goode, VA replenish the durability and seamless beauty you sorely miss after dental damage occurs. Our doctors are happy to help patients who’d like to replace cracked, metal restorations with all-ceramic, aesthetically minded alternatives that look as good as they feel. Our Goode dental team looks forward to welcoming you!
Why Choose White Cosmetic & Family Dentistry for Dental Crowns?
- Caring, dedicated team of dental professionals
- High-quality restorations made from durable, lifelike materials
- Emergency appointment available
What is a Dental Crown?
Put simply, a dental crown is a fixed restoration for a damaged tooth. It takes the form of a cap made of ceramic, porcelain, or other tooth-colored materials. When placed over the affected area, this cap will both protect and beautify a portion of your smile. It’ll keep bacteria away from the worn tooth’s pulp and hide the prior decay or damage from view.
Due to the features above, the best candidates for dental crowns have one (or more) of the following:
- Cavities that can’t be fixed with fillings
- An old filling that caused tooth damage
- A cracked or broken tooth
- Teeth eroded by bruxism and other habits
- A tooth that just had a root canal
Dental Crown Process
The creation and placement of a dental crown usually requires two appointments. Once we’ve determined that a crown is the right choice for your smile, Dr. White will carefully prepare the tooth and take impressions. A temporary crown will be custom created and worn so your confidence and complete smile isn’t disrupted while we wait for your permanent restoration from the lab. Once we’ve received your customized crown, we’ll call you back to place it snugly over the tooth and ensure that it’s comfortable and secure.
The material your crown will be crafted from depends on its location in the mouth and the amount of stress it endures on a daily basis. Drs. Julia and Brandon White are happy to offer all-ceramic, tooth-colored options so patients enjoy a beautiful, natural-looking smile.
The Benefits of Getting a Dental Crown
If a decayed or damaged tooth is left untreated, it’ll cause a lot of problems for you. Fortunately, a dental crown can help you avoid such issues. Getting one for your tooth will lead to benefits like:
- A Gorgeous, Lifelike Grin – Our office only uses all-ceramic dental crowns. So, your treatment results should blend seamlessly with your grin. Friends and family won’t even notice your tooth has a prosthetic cap.
- Versatile Care – Because a dental crown covers the whole surface of a tooth, it’s a highly versatile treatment. One of them could treat a cavity, tooth chips, fractures, and more!
- Tooth Protection – Ceramic crowns are quite durable, so they do a great job of protecting teeth from harmful bacteria. Getting one now should help you avoid a root canal or tooth extraction later.
- Lasting Results – If you take care of it well, a dental crown can last 15 years or more. So, make sure your own has a long lifespan by brushing and flossing daily. Similarly, always get regular dental checkups.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Crowns
As much as you may want dental crowns, you may fear they’re too expensive. Fair enough – these caps for teeth won’t help if they exceed your budget. Still, the cost of dental crowns varies by patient; you’ll need to see our dentists for a precise estimate. We’ll strive to make your treatment more affordable once you’ve consulted our team. In fact, we’ll walk you through crown work’s cost factors, insurance coverage, and payment options. Please keep reading to learn more or call us today!
Factors That Affect the Cost of Dental Crowns
Before our office gives you dental crowns, our dentists will have you undergo an oral exam. This process lets us (among other things) assess factors that affect your treatment’s cost. Such things include the following:
- Dental Damage Severity – As you’d expect, a crown will cost more when the treated tooth’s damage is severe. A highly broken tooth may need a root canal before crown placement. On the other hand, the crown may have to be placed over a pricey dental implant.
- Crown Material – Some crown materials are more expensive than others. At some practices, a crown made of metal or porcelain-fused-to-metal are more affordable. Our office’s tooth-colored ceramic ones tend to cost more than such metallic options.
- Crown Crafting Method – A dental crown can be more or less expensive based on its crafting method. One example is how a traditionally-milled one doesn’t cost much. In contrast, a crown made with CEREC technology will often have a high price.
Even as our dentists explain these factors to you, note that dental crowns with lower prices don’t tend to work well. Dental caps that seem oddly inexpensive tend to be poor products. So, make sure to choose a dental crown that’s more moderately-priced. It’s much more likely to look and feel good for years!
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?
Luckily, dental crowns count as major dental procedures. That means most dental plans cover 50-80% of their cost. Of course, this figure assumes that you’ve already paid your deductible.
That said, there are exceptions. Your dental insurance may not cover dental crowns or offer very little coverage. To play it safe, confirm your benefits with your plan provider beforehand. Our team will even help you with this process if you’d like.
Other Options for Making Dental Crowns Affordable
Even without dental insurance, dental crowns can be affordable. Our practice offers some helpful alternative payment options. By using them, your crown can be much more budget-friendly.
In particular, our office provides flexible financing via CareCredit. Patients can work with this 3rd party financier to pay for their care in monthly installments. That way, you could gradually cover the cost of your dental crowns instead of paying all at once.
Ultimately, our office wants to give you dental crowns that work well and don’t “break the bank.” Find out how best to finance them by consulting our office soon!
Dental Crowns FAQs
How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?
As you might expect, how long you can expect your dental crown to last has a lot to do with your unique circumstances. That said, you can most dental crowns endure anywhere between five and fifteen years.
There are a few factors that can determine how long your dental crowns last. For one, some materials that dental crowns are made out of last longer than others. The location of the dental crown in the mouth also makes a difference—crowns on the molars are under more pressure than those on the front teeth. And finally, of course, is how thorough you are in your dental hygiene.
Do Dental Crowns Get Cavities?
The materials that dental crowns are made out of are resistant to the acid erosion that causes tooth decay. That being the case, the dental crown itself is unlikely to be affected by cavities. However, it is possible for bacteria to get under your restoration and begin to decay the teeth underneath, and as a consequence, a dental crowned tooth can develop cavities. For this reason, you need to make sure that you’re continuing to take good care of your dental crown.
What Happens If You Wait Too Long to Get a Dental Crown?
Typically, dental crowns are only recommended to patients when they’re necessary. If you have serious tooth decay or have just completed a root canal, it’s possible for the condition of your tooth to get considerably worse unless you act. Food debris and bacteria can get into the decayed area of the tooth, making the damage much worse.
If we’re telling you that you need a dental crown, you should be sure to get one as soon as possible.
Is It a Dental Emergency If Your Crown Falls Off?
Losing a dental crown isn’t as serious as losing a tooth, which means that you don’t necessarily need to drop everything and rush to our office. However, it’s still usually a good idea to see us sooner rather than later, especially if the tooth under the dental crown is sharp enough to damage places in your mouth.
Until you can see us, be sure to be careful while chewing so that you don’t damage your now-sensitive tooth. You should also be sure to bring your dental crown to our office when you visit, as it may be possible to place it back on your tooth.