Dental Crowns (Caps) in Atlanta
What is a dental crown?
Crowns are used to restore broken, cracked, or root canal treated teeth. They cover the whole tooth and prevent further fracturing. Crowns can be made of a porcelain-like material or metal. At Brookhaven Family Dentistry, we take a minimally invasive approach to dentistry. A crown is an invasive and aggressive dental procedure. For this reason, we don't really want to crown your tooth, unless you would truly benefit from it. Sometimes, a less invasive filling or no treatment at all may be just fine.
This video goes into greater detail about situations when:
- A crown is definitely a good idea.
- A crown would be beneficial, but perhaps not absolutely necessary.
- Maybe a crown would benefit the tooth, but the patient should know what they are getting into, because crowns do have some negatives associated with them.
Do I really need a crown?
Dr. Kokabi sorts the types of teeth that may need crowns into three groups:
1. The clear cases where you definitely need a crown are a root canal treated back tooth, a large part of your tooth has broken off, cracked tooth syndrome, a broken existing crown, and decay under an old crown.
2. The situation in which a crown would benefit a tooth, but is not absolutely necessary is prominent cracks that are not yet causing pain, where covering the tooth now avoids a bigger problem later.
3. The optional case in which MAYBE your tooth would benefit from a crown, but is NOT absolutely necessary is large old fillings that do not have decay around them and the filling is not cracked or broken, in this scenario you should weigh both the positives and the negatives of a crown: a crown does strengthen the tooth, but it is permanent, it is expensive, and in a small number of cases a tooth that was not hurting becomes painful afterward and needs a root canal.
Common questions
How much do crowns cost?
The cost of a crown is around $1,700. Sometimes you may need a build up in addition to the crown which may cost an extra $360. This is the price if you don't have insurance, it's less if you have insurance depending on how good your insurance is.
How long is an appointment for a crown?
We usually reserve a 2 hour appointment for a crown.
Does it hurt to get a dental crown?
We get you numb, so that you do not feel us doing the crown procedure on your tooth.
I just got a dental crown and now it feels weird, what's going on?
The most common reasons why your teeth may feel abnormal after you get a dental crown are:
1. Your bite is off, sometimes your new crown sits just a tiny bit higher than the adjacent teeth and your opposing tooth can hit too heavy on the new crown. Maybe you don't really notice it until a day or two after your new crown has been cemented on. Just go back to your dentist and it will only take a couple of minutes for them to lighten your bite on it. And then it will feel normal.
2. The crown is fitting very tightly against the adjacent teeth and the adjacent teeth feel pressure against them. If you can get floss through the spot where the adjacent tooth is touching your new crown, then you are fine. Just leave it alone and it will feel normal within a day or two. However, if it is so tight that you cannot get floss through the spot between the adjacent tooth and your new crown, then go back to your dentist. They can shave a little off to make it less tight and then it will feel better(and now you should be able to floss between there).
Curious whether a crown is right for you?
Get in Touch
Curious about a specific procedure? Financial inquiries?
Give us a call at (770) 451-0611