The anatomy of a tooth if far more complicated than the average citizen realizes. The crown of any tooth is the entire part that you can see above the gum line. The root is below the gum line. The tooth has the hard enamel shell, a second layer called dentin and then each tooth has soft center full of soft tissue called pulp. This pulp is full of nerves and blood vessels that feed the tooth. The dental industry always does everything possible to keep a patient’s natural teeth, but there are situations when a tooth sustains some damage and we need to compromise. A dental crown is that compromise. Keeping the root anchoring the tooth, a zirconia or porcelain crown will sit on that tooth like a cap or shell. It can be the solution for cracked, chipped or broken teeth. The crown will sit over that damaged tooth and you will not be able to even tell that it is not your natural tooth. It will be totally functional, be almost as strong as a natural tooth and sometime even look better than the original tooth. Some of the situations that lead to a dental crown list might like this:

• If you have had a root canal treatment, that tooth is no longer alive and will become brittle over time. A crown will protect that natural tooth.
• If you have a broken cusp of a tooth.
• A cracked, chipped or worn-down tooth which might be functionally weakened.
• For a large cavity because the filling will not adequately fill the cavity.
• A traditional bridge will need a crown on the tooth next to it to give it the anchoring  support it needs.
• A dental implant has a either a zirconia or porcelain crown placed on the abutment post.
• Purely cosmetic if you just don’t like how a tooth looks in your smile.