Dental Crowns
When a tooth needs more than a filling
Fillings are wonderful for small and medium repairs, but they have limits. When a tooth is cracked, worn flat
from grinding, broken, or so heavily filled that little natural structure remains, patching one more spot will not
save it. The tooth needs full coverage protection, and that is exactly what a crown provides.
Think of a crown as precision armor. It caps the entire visible tooth, absorbing and distributing chewing forces
so the fragile structure underneath stops taking direct hits. A tooth on its way to splitting can serve for
decades once a crown is protecting it, which is why acting before the crack completes matters so much.
Dental Crowns
Crowns that look like teeth, not crowns
The crowns most people can spot from across a room, chalky white or ringed with gray at the gumline, are a
previous era of dentistry. Modern ceramic crowns are matched to the shade, translucency, and shape of your
natural teeth, and the result routinely fools everyone except the dentist who placed it.
Dr. Salinas obsesses over this part, because a crown near the front of your smile has to disappear completely,
and even molars deserve to look like teeth. Fit gets equal attention. A properly contoured crown feels natural
to your tongue, meets your opposing teeth correctly, and lets floss slide cleanly at the edges. You should
mostly forget it is there, and that is the standard we work to.
Dental Crowns
The process, start to finish
Crown treatment typically takes two visits. At the first, we numb the area thoroughly, shape the tooth to
make room for its new covering, take precise impressions, and fit you with a temporary crown that keeps
things comfortable and presentable in the meantime. You will function normally between visits with just a
little care around sticky foods.
When your final crown is ready, usually within a couple of weeks, you return for the fitting. We check the
shade in natural light, verify your bite, make any fine adjustments, and cement it permanently. Most patients
are eating normally that evening. If a root canal or a large buildup is needed first, we plan all of it up front so
there are no surprises.
Dental Crowns
How long crowns last, and how to help them
A well made crown commonly lasts ten to fifteen years, and plenty serve much longer. The crown itself
cannot decay, but the tooth underneath still can, right at the margin where crown meets tooth. That is why
brushing, flossing, and regular checkups matter just as much after a crown as before. We inspect your crowns
at every exam.
If you grind at night, a night guard is cheap insurance for your investment, and we will tell you honestly
whether you need one. Have a tooth that aches when you chew, or a crack you can feel with your tongue?
Sooner is better. Call (512) 646-4420 and let us take a look before it becomes a bigger conversation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions About Sedation Dentistry
No. The tooth is fully numbed for the preparation visit, and fitting the final crown usually requires little or no
numbing at all. Some temperature sensitivity for a few days afterward is normal and fades.
Most of our crowns are high strength ceramics that combine durability with a genuinely natural appearance.
Dr. Salinas will recommend the right material for your specific tooth and bite, and explain why.
It comes down to how much healthy tooth remains and where the forces fall. If a filling can restore the tooth
reliably, that is what we recommend, since it is more conservative and less expensive. When remaining
structure is too weak to hold a filling, a crown protects what a filling would eventually break. You will see the
evidence on screen either way.
Related services
Root Canal Therapy
The root canal’s reputation is decades out of date. Done with modern techniques, it feels much like getting a filling, and it exists to end pain,
Tooth-Colored Fillings
Cavities happen to almost everyone eventually. When one happens to you, we remove the decay and restore
the tooth with a composite filling matched
Restorative Dentistry
From natural-looking fillings and crowns to implants and root canal therapy, we
rebuild smiles to full strength and beauty.
Ready to schedule?
Visit Our Office — 512ooth Family Dentistry, 8701 W State Hwy 71 #102, Austin, TX 78735.