Dental crowns can be both natural and artificial. Of course the artificial dental crowns are installed after the loss of the natural one. If you revisit the structure of the tooth- a bit of biology class here- the tooth is made of three main parts: the root, the neck and the crown. The crown is the part that everyone gets to see. It is the one that gets chipped and discolored. It is the one that is damage by acids and sweets. It is the one that chews; bites and tears the food. The crown does a lot of work and is subjected to a whole lot of forces and environments that can easily damage it. It is therefore very normal for the crown’s protective layer called the enamel to wear out with time.
What happens when the crown is damaged?
Often problems relating to the teeth develop as a result of dental crowns being damaged. The crown is the one that protects and strengthens the structure of the tooth. Therefore, without the crown people start suffering issues such as tooth sensitivity. Now this is a major problem all over the world. Tooth sensitivity does not allow you to live a comfortable life as you would like to. When you take something hot or cold you experience a sharp pain in the tooth.
A damaged tooth crown also opens your tooth (the live part of the tooth) to infections. The mouth is home to colonies upon colonies of different species of bacteria. These, if given an opportunity, can cause infections in the mouth. Therefore, a dental crown is very important in a bid to protect the tooth from damage by these oral bacteria.
The appearance of the tooth is also destroyed when the crown is damaged. You might not feel the pain that comes as a result of tooth sensitivity as abovementioned. You might not have an issue with infection or tooth decay but the appearance of the tooth may be affected. This is where the custom-made porcelain crowns come in to save the day.
Why porcelain is used for dental crowning
Porcelain is a very strong material to start with. The forces that your teeth are subjected to are incredibly high. It is therefore not a surprise that the enamel is worn off with time. There are other types of dental crowns but porcelain crowns come highly favored for this specific purpose- they are strong. They are able to last for a really long time when they are applied properly.
Another reason why porcelain crowns are recommended is because they resemble the natural teeth. When you have them applied, no one will ever notice that you have artificial dental crowns. Unless of course you tell them that they are artificial. It is worth closing by mentioning that porcelain crowns do not last forever. Like other dental restorations, a porcelain crown might need replacing at some point in time.
