Dental Crown for a Broken Tooth

When Does a Broken Tooth Need a Crown?

It depends on how big the break is. A small chip typically won’t require one, but a bigger break could, particularly if it weakens the tooth significantly, especially if the root also requires work.

If the tooth has had its root canal treated, you may also need a crown due to the lack of natural strength remaining in the tooth. A back tooth bears a lot of the force when we chew, so I wouldn’t recommend leaving a significantly weakened one alone.

What the Dentist Will Check

• They’re concerned with deep fractures, particularly ones that may go below the gum line and can’t be reached by the crown

• There needs to be enough intact tooth material for the crown to properly adhere to, otherwise another restoration option may be suggested

• Pain or sensitivity can be an indicator that the inner layers are compromised, though with more severe breaks, you may not feel anything at all

How a Crown Restores a Broken Tooth

They’ll need to shape the broken tooth so that it can accept a crown. The dentist will remove any weak sections and shape the tooth to hold the crown in place, then take an impression or scan of the reshaped tooth to send off to a lab to fabricate the actual crown.

You’ll be able to wear a temporary crown while they wait for the permanent one to be ready. This isn’t a fun part of getting a crown, but it’s an important one to ensure everything fits properly and your bite isn’t impacted

What If It’s Too Broken to Save

Not all broken teeth can be saved with a crown, particularly if the root is compromised. If they’re recommending a tooth extraction for a broken tooth, ask them about it first.

One of the pet peeves I have about dentists is that they are prone to recommend extractions for teeth they think are broken beyond repair, but there are often alternative courses of action

The crown may make the tooth look whole again, but there’s no guarantee it’ll feel that way, too. The sensation may return as normal when the tooth is further manipulated, or the bite may be impacted in such a way that it’s uncomfortable to eat with the crowned tooth

Caring for a Crowned Broken Tooth

A crown on a broken tooth isn’t an excuse to stop caring for it. Just because the crown can’t rot doesn’t mean the tooth underneath isn’t capable of doing so, particularly if plaque builds up along the gum line

While you can floss around the crown, it’s not an excuse to floss aggressively or treat it like a rugged surface that can handle rough handling; you should treat the crown like you would a natural tooth

Dental crown procedures can restore broken teeth to full function when the supporting structures are still intact.

Crowns on broken teeth should always be performed by a qualified dentist to ensure that the tooth will properly support the crown before they commit to the procedure, to avoid more issues later down the line.

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