Porcelain or Gold Crowns

A crown is a tooth-shaped cap that replaces your normal tooth above the gum line. You may need a crown to support a weak tooth or to make your tooth look better.

Reasons for crowns:

A crown can be used to:

  • Attach a bridge, which fills a gap created by missing teeth

  • Repair a weak tooth and keep it from breaking

  • Support and cover a tooth

  • Replace a misshapen tooth or restore a dental implant

  • Correct a misaligned tooth

Talk to your dentist if you need a crown. You may need a crown because you have a:

  • Large cavity with too little of the natural tooth left to hold a filling

  • Chipped or broken tooth

  • Worn down or cracked tooth from grinding your teeth

  • Discolored or stained tooth

  • Badly shaped tooth that does not match your other teeth

After the procedure

While you have the temporary crown in place, you may need to:

  • Slide your floss out, rather than lifting it up, which can pull the crown off the tooth.

  • Avoid sticky foods, such as gummy bears, caramels, bagels, nutrition bars, and gum.

  • Try to chew of the other side of your mouth.

Call your dentist if you:

  • Have swelling that is getting worse.

  • Feel that your bite is not right.

  • Lose your temporary crown.

  • Feel as if your tooth is out of place.

  • Have pain in the tooth that is not relieved with over-the-counter pain medicine. .

Once the permanent crown is in place:

  • If your tooth still has its nerve, you may have some sensitivity to heat or cold. This should go away over time.

  • Expect that it will take a few days to get used to the new crown in your mouth.

  • Take care of your crown the same way you take care of your normal teeth.

  • If you have a porcelain crown, you may want to avoid chewing on hard candy or ice to avoid chipping your crown.