Dental Crown

Dental crowns or “caps” are cosmetic dental devices that replace a single tooth after it has been lost or broken. Whether the problem was a result of decay, injury, infection, or other health issues, most general dentists and oral surgeons offer crowns as a replacement for the missing or damaged tooth.

They work by capping the remaining tooth (hence the alternate name) and becoming the new tooth surface as far as biting, chewing, and brushing are concerned. Crowns usually have to be ground down to fit, and in some cases, the surrounding teeth or abutments need to be reshaped to make room.

For experienced oral surgeons, crowns have another definition as the uppermost piece of the dental implant. A dental implant is made of three parts (crown, screw, and abutment), and the crown is the part that looks like a real tooth. In other words, no matter how your damaged or missing tooth is replaced, you will likely need some form of a crown.