Dental Crowns

A dental crown is a cover that wraps a tooth and holds it together. At Pearl32 Dentistry and Wellness in Laguna Hills, we make most crowns in our own office. A digital scan replaces the putty tray. Our in-house mill shapes the crown while you wait, so many people leave the same day. Crowns protect cracked teeth, worn teeth and teeth after a root canal. They do not make a tooth new again. They buy it years.

When does a tooth need a crown?

A tooth needs a crown when too little healthy structure is left to hold a filling. Four situations come up most weeks in our Laguna Hills office. A tooth cracks and hurts when you release a bite. An old filling covers more than half the chewing surface. A tooth has had a root canal, which leaves it brittle. Grinding has worn the enamel flat. We take a digital x-ray and look at the crack under magnification first, because a smaller repair sometimes still works, and we will say so.

What are crowns made of?

Most crowns we place are zirconia or lithium disilicate. Zirconia is a dense ceramic. It handles heavy grinding forces, so we use it for molars and for people who clench. Lithium disilicate is glassier and picks up light more like enamel, so we use it for front teeth and premolars. Both are shaded to match the color of the teeth beside them.

Metal still has a place. A gold crown is kind to the opposing tooth and needs less tooth structure removed. Some patients with heavy bites choose it. We show you the differences before you decide.

Can a crown be made in one visit?

Same visit or laboratory

Most crowns are finished in one visit. We scan the prepared tooth with a digital intraoral scanner, design the crown on screen, and mill it from a ceramic block in the office. You wait, we fit it, we cement it. No temporary crown and no second appointment. Dr. Nojan Jahedmanesh, DDS holds a certificate in prosthodontics from UCLA, and he practices as a general dentist. See same day crowns and digital dentistry.

Some cases still go to a laboratory: front teeth that need layered color, several joined crowns, or a complicated bite. Then you wear a temporary crown for two to three weeks.

How long do crowns last?

Plan on ten to fifteen years from a well made crown, and often longer. What shortens it: grinding at night, decay at the margin where the crown meets the tooth, and skipping cleanings. What lengthens it: flossing the margin daily, a night guard if you grind, and a check every six months.

Brush a crowned tooth like any other. The crown itself cannot decay. The root and the margin underneath can, so the floss matters more than the brush here.

What will a crown not do?

A crown will not make a cracked root sound. If the crack runs below the gum, a crown only delays the extraction, so we test for root cracks before we start and tell you when the odds are poor. A crown will not stop grinding. We make a night guard for patients who clench, because ceramic chips the way enamel does. A crown will not treat gum disease under it. If the gum bleeds, we treat that first, and our periodontics page explains how.

What does a crown cost in Laguna Hills?

We do not publish crown prices, because the tooth in front of us decides the work. Some teeth need a buildup first. Some need a root canal. Your cost is quoted in writing, itemized, after an examination, and nothing starts until you have seen that number.

Pearl32 is in network with most major PPO plans and Delta Dental HMO, and we send a benefits estimate before treatment. Third party financing is available and the practice is not the creditor, through CareCredit, Cherry, Sunbit and Happen Bank (formerly LendingClub). See financing or call (949) 830-0074.

Questions people ask about dental Crowns

Does getting a crown hurt?

The tooth is numbed with local anesthetic, so you feel pressure and water, not sharp pain. Most crown visits run about ninety minutes. If dental work makes you anxious, we offer nitrous oxide, oral sedation and IV sedation. Tell us when you book. The day after, the gum around the tooth can feel tender for a day or two, and ibuprofen usually covers it.

Can you really make a crown in one visit?

Most of the time, yes. We scan the tooth, design the crown on a screen and mill it from a ceramic block in our office. Plan on about two hours from numbing to cementing. Front teeth that need layered color and cases with several crowns still go to a laboratory, and those take two to three weeks with a temporary crown.

Will the crown match my other teeth?

That is the aim, and front teeth are the harder match. We shade the crown against the teeth beside it, in daylight if we can, before it is cemented. Natural enamel is layered and slightly translucent, which a single block of ceramic copies only so far. If the match is not right, we remake it, and for front teeth we often use a laboratory technician who layers the color by hand.

Do I need a root canal before a crown?

Not usually. About one crowned tooth in ten needs a root canal later, and we tell you that before we start. A tooth that already aches on its own, wakes you at night, or holds cold pain for a minute is a different case. That tooth often needs the root canal first. We test with cold and a digital x-ray so you are not guessing.

What if my crown comes off?

Keep the crown, do not glue it at home, and call (949) 830-0074. We hold same day emergency slots Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Often the crown is fine and the cement failed, so we clean both surfaces and recement it. Sometimes decay under the margin is the reason, and then the tooth needs repair first. Bring the crown in a small container.

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. What is right for you can only be decided after an examination.