What is a Full Coverage Crown?
Full coverage crowns are often referred to as caps, as they are commonly used to cover, or cap, a damaged or weakened tooth – but this isn’t all they can do. A full coverage crown is a dental prosthetic that looks and functions like a natural, healthy tooth, restoring the structure of a damaged, broken, or missing tooth. These restorations are custom-made, designed to match the color, luster, and curves of the neighboring teeth, and can be used in a variety of restorative procedures, including:
- Covering a tooth that is substantially broken
- This helps to maintain as much of the natural tooth structure as possible, holding the fractured tooth together while keeping the tooth root healthy and restoring the function and appearance of the tooth
- Covering a tooth with extensive decay
- When a cavity is very large, it may be difficult to keep a filling in place, if it’s possible at all, without the protective aid of a full coverage crown
- Protecting a tooth after a root canal
- The goal of a root canal is to remove infection that threatens the root of a tooth, keeping the tooth root alive. Once the tooth’s root canal is cleaned out and packed with antibacterial material, the damaged natural tooth is covered with a full coverage crown, which helps protect the tooth root against future infection
- Guarding the sensitive dental nerves
- Sometimes, the location of a crack in a tooth makes that area extremely painful, especially when biting or chewing, and a full coverage crown can help prevent pain from these types of cracks or because of decay or other damage, while it protects the tooth from infection and further damage
- Replacing a missing tooth
- Full coverage crowns have long been used as part of a dental bridge to replace a tooth that’s missing between two natural teeth. More recently, full coverage crowns are often used to cover a surgically placed post where a tooth root once was, replacing the missing tooth with a lifelike, comfortable, sturdy crown.
A full coverage crown can also serve a strictly cosmetic purpose, masking serious discoloration or other aesthetic defects. To place a crown, however, a small amount of natural tooth structure must be removed so that the crown is snug and the curve of the tooth is properly aligned; for this reason, less-invasive cosmetic procedures are often recommended when appropriate. Full coverage crowns can be made from a variety of materials that range in durability and aesthetic appeal, and the best material depends on clinical needs and patient preference. Options include porcelain, ceramic, resin, metal, and porcelain fused to metal; for obvious reasons, more natural-looking materials like porcelain or ceramic are often used when the crowns are in the visible area at the front of the mouth, while metal crowns are reserved for the molars in the back of the mouth.
Ultimately, the purpose of a full coverage crown is to return a damaged tooth to its ideal structural state, allowing it to function painlessly while you confidently enjoy a variety of healthy foods. Thankfully, full coverage crowns can also serve the purpose of restoring the appearance of a uniform, sparkling smile. Your dentist can assess your clinical needs and discuss material options and treatment approaches with you, so call soon to learn more about full coverage crowns and decide if they’re the right solution for you.
Related Article: How Long Do Full Coverage Crowns Last?