I thought that the treatment for cavity is filling. Why do I need a crown?
2006-10-25 08:26:49 · 11 answers · asked by sweet apple pie 1 in Health ➔ Dental
Often simple cavities do not require crowns; however, if the cavity is around an existing filling or on a tooth that has filling or fillings on the other sides, then you might require a crown. There is only so much filling material that you can place on a tooth before there is not enough "virgin" tooth structure that remains to hold it all in. Also if a tooth is too heavily restored, there is an increased risk that the tooth might fracture in the future (the mouth generates very large amounts of force when you bite down, especially on the back teeth). Sometimes, your dentist will notice fine fracture lines in the tooth and suggests a crown also to help prevent fracture in the future. Now you might say, Can't I wait until the tooth fractures and then get a crown? The answer to that is, you never know when or where or how a tooth will fracture. If it fractures through the nerve, it will then require a Root Canal, if it fractures lower, it is possible that the tooth would need to be extracted. Crowns are often placed as a preventative for future fracture of the tooth, the crown actually acts to hug the remaining tooth structure together and protect it; it is also used to replace large amounts of tooth structure when it is missing!
2006-10-25 08:50:00 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. Jon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cavity Crown
2016-10-29 05:24:08 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Imagine you have a cake. You can pinch off a tiny corner of the cake, and when you cover it with frosting, it's not noticeable. If you have an entire piece, though, you can't fill it in with frosting to make the cake seem whole again. (Okay, I have cake on the brain, I'm cooking 27 cupcakes for Fall Fest parties at my kids' school tomorrow, sorry.) Anyway, the filling is like the frosting. It can fill up small amounts with no problem, but more drastic measures need to be taken to fill in a whole piece missing. :-)
It depends on where the cavity is and how large it is. If you have very little actual tooth for the filling to bond to, a crown is preferable.
I don't have dental insurance, and a dentist friend gave me some emergency dental work pro bono, but he was only able to do fillings in places where there should have been crowns. A year later, they're chipping off and I'm having to do the crowns now.
2006-10-25 08:34:23 · answer #3 · answered by CrazyChick 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Crowns are recommended for teeth that do not have alot of natural tooth structure as well as root canals....
You may have had a filling in that tooth already. If you develop new decay the dentist will have to take away more of your natural tooth structure in order to get rid of the decay. This will cause a bigger filling.
If you loose alot of tooth structure your best bet would be a crown to avoid future issues...such as more decay or a cracked filling or tooth. The crown will hold your tooth together better than an enormous filling.
2006-10-25 08:47:43 · answer #4 · answered by Ron's wife 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The reason you need a crown is because to put just a filling to fix the problem will not work. The reason it won't work -- there isn't enough tooth left to really hold the filling in place for a good length of time. So, they use a crown instead.
2006-10-25 08:30:35 · answer #5 · answered by JB 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A small cavity does not require a crown. However, when you have a deep filling (especially in a molar) =- a crown will protect youfrom further damage and possibly needing a root canal.
2006-10-25 08:29:08 · answer #6 · answered by Been there 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your might need a crown because the old filling is too large, their might be a large cavity underneath or your tooth is slightly broken that cannot be restored with another filling. Ask your dentist which is it so u can understand what's going on with your tooth, don't be scared to ask questions, there are answers for them.
2006-10-25 11:31:12 · answer #7 · answered by justmmez 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Normally simple cavities don't require crowns. Yours may be a very large cavity that has necessitaed removal of a great deal of tooth. There may not be enough tooth left to hold a filling. However, if you really want to know (and I assume you do) why aren't you on the phone asking your dentist????
2006-10-25 08:31:15 · answer #8 · answered by TweetyBird 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No. Cavities don't need crowns. If the cavity fails and you have to get a root canal, then you need a crown to protect the tooth or it could break in several pieces and have to be removed.
Trust me....had this happen. Thank GOD for porcelain implants...LOL
2006-10-25 08:29:05 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
When the decay is too extensive, there may not be enough tooth structure remaining to allow a restorative material to be placed within the tooth.
2006-10-25 08:35:19 · answer #10 · answered by Andi 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋