A cracked or badly broken tooth is a case where a crown must stay on the tooth. If a large part of the tooth has been chipped away a normal filling may not hold because there is not strong tooth left. A crown gives the leftover part of the tooth a cover. This is very useful when the tooth still has healthy tooth to hold the crown.<\/p>\r\n
The same is true for teeth that are weakened by cavities. When decay has taken away a lot of tooth rebuilding it with filling material is not always the smartest long\u2011term fix. A crown gives protection.<\/p>\r\n
Sometimes the problem is not a dramatic crack. It is simply a tooth that has been fixed times leaving not much natural structure. An old filling may cover a part of the tooth and the remaining walls may be thin.<\/p>\r\n
That is where a crown can make a difference. Of patching one small area again the crown covers the entire tooth. In this situation keeping on replacing the filling can feel like avoiding the obvious.<\/p>\r\n
Some teeth do not look especially bad from the outside.. Underneath there may be extensive decay or a large old restoration. Your dentist may spot the weakness when examining the tooth or on an X\u2011ray.<\/p>\r\n
Your dentist will usually look at how tooth remains and where the damage is. The bite also matters. A back tooth that takes chewing pressure has different needs from a small front tooth chip.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 A amount of damage especially when the tooth still has plenty of healthy structure around it often does not justify a crown.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 A broken tooth that has enough solid structure underneath is a much stronger crown candidate because the restoration has something stable to hold onto.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 After root canal treatment a crown is commonly considered for a tooth because chewing forces are much higher there.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 Severe grinding changes the conversation too. The crown may protect the tooth. Your dentist will also need to address the grinding itself.<\/p>\r\n
The best candidate is not simply someone with a tooth. Pain matters,. The bigger question is whether the tooth has enough healthy structure to support a crown and whether covering the tooth will solve a real problem.<\/p>\r\n
If the tooth cannot support a crown at all forcing a crown onto the tooth is not the answer. Another treatment may be needed instead. That is why the examination comes first.<\/p>\r\n