Regarding crowns and cavities

Question

i dont understand this. i have a tooth (in front) of all places. it will get a cavity and then another and so on. so now i need a crown. so if you shave some of the tooth and put a crown. isnt that just covering up the problem, wont it still rot underneath the crown. so why cover it up??

Answer 1

They will remove all cavities prior to putting the crown on so it won't just be covering a problem. The crown gives it strength back b/c the amount of filling in your tooth has gotten so great that their isn't enough tooth structure left to support another filling. You can still get another cavity under the edges of a crown if you don't floss it and brush it properly. If this happens they can place a filling around the edge if caught early, but if not caught early enough you will require a new crown. Watch what you eat and drink make sure you aren't sipping sodas or sugar all day long or constant snacking. Try chewing sugar free gum to help with cavities. Try not to rinse your toothpaste off when you brush so you get the benefits of the fluoride. We want kids to rinse the tp b/c we dont' want them to swallow the fluoride, but adults are capable of spitting. Brush, spit, do not rinse/eat/drink for 30 minutes.  

Answer 2

Hi! I work in the dental field:)

and when the dentist preps your tooth, all decay will be removed and only a small amount of the tooth is removed, so that the lab can fabricate the crown to fit over the prepped tooth. Like all natrual teeth, a crown if not properly taken (brushing and flossing) it can get decay under it.

Answer 3

in away yes it is covering it up but it also slows down the process of decay. It protects the tooth from acquiring more bacteria and so on that would generally speed up the process of decaying the tooth to the roots. i have 2 cavities but instead of crowning or capping them i had the filled i think that is the best way to go. they remove all the cavity and fill in the hole.