If you have a severely damaged tooth or need root canal therapy, your dentist may suggest a dental crown. Dental crowns cover every erupted surface of the tooth, including the top, sides, front, and back. If you need a dental crown, but you've never gotten one before, check out these four frequently asked questions.

What Material Is Used?

Most commonly, dental crowns are made from metal or porcelain. Metal dental crowns are incredibly durable and not prone to wear and tear, but they are unsightly and may damage other teeth. Porcelain crowns come in all-porcelain and porcelain-fused-to-metal. Both are durable but porcelain-fused-to-metal is more so because of the metal. Porcelain is prone to chipping if you grind your teeth, but the material looks exactly like real tooth tissue. Gums are less sensitive to porcelain, so there is less recession.

Do They Strengthen Teeth?

Dental crowns are the best way you can strengthen your tooth because they give the tooth a new, solid exterior. Imagine holding an egg. If there is a crack in the egg, it doesn't take much force to shatter it completely. The same can be said of your tooth. All the fillings and cracks weaken the tooth, and when placed under too much pressure, it shatters. A dental crown eliminates those weak spots and allows the pressure to be spread evenly across the tooth surface.

Can the Process Be Reversed?

If you get a dental crown, you'll need one for the rest of your life. This is because to hold the dental crown, your tool must be filed down. This removes all or most of the tooth enamel. The dental crown serves as the new enamel, but it is even stronger because nothing can penetrate the metal and porcelain. If the crown is removed, your tooth is exposed and vulnerable to temperature and decay.

Are Teeth with Crowns Immune to Decay?

With the crown, most of your tooth is completely protected from decay. However, you still need to keep the area along the gum line clean. Dental crowns already cause gums to recede a little, and if you don't brush, tartar causes them to recede further. This allows bacteria to slip inside the crown from the bottom. This may lead to an infection, or it may cause the crown to weaken and fail.

Dental crowns are a great way to protect teeth and prevent them from requiring extraction. If you would like more information regarding dental crowns or other dental cosmetic or restorative procedures, contact a dentist in your area today.