Dental Crowns Greensboro
Broken Teeth? We Can Help
At the Greensboro dental office of David M. Fisher, Jr. DDS, we are dedicated to partnering with patients to keep their smiles healthy with regular, preventive dental care. However, even the most diligent patients can still experience tooth decay and damage. When you need to repair your smile, our team will create a personalized treatment plan that utilizes the most conservative restorations that restore function and retain the maximum amount of healthy tooth structure. Dental crowns are some of the most commonly used restoration options. If you need help to repair a damaged or decayed smile, call our team right away. It’s always best to get started repairing your smile as soon as possible to avoid further damage, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us as soon as you notice an area of concern.
Why Choose Dr. David M. Fisher, Jr. for Dental Crowns?
- We Treat Patients Like Family
- Advanced Technology for Designing Crowns
- Experienced Dentist and Team Members
What are Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are restorations that fit over the top of your damaged teeth to recreate lost dental structures and protect your smile from further trauma. They can be crafted from a variety of high-quality materials, including metal alloys, gold, zirconia, porcelain fused to metal, and all-ceramic. Before we begin your restoration, we’ll discuss your options and help you select the best material to meet your needs. Because of their long-lasting natural appearance, we most often recommend all-ceramic crowns.
When Would I Need a Dental Crown?
Dental crowns are necessary in the following situations:
- To repair damaged, broken, or decayed teeth that cannot be fixed with a more conservative option like a filling
- To repair a tooth when a smaller filling restoration has been removed and cannot be replaced with a new filling
- To protect and strengthen root canal-treated teeth to avoid further injury or pain
- To support a fixed bridge tooth replacement prosthetic
- To replace missing teeth when attached to a dental implant post
- To enhance the smile’s appearance as part of a cosmetic dentistry plan
How are Dental Crowns Placed?
Dental crowns are placed over the course of two trips to our Greensboro dental office. At your first visit, we’ll numb the area around your damaged tooth. Then, we carefully remove any broken or decayed parts of the tooth. A small amount of healthy tooth structure will need to be removed around your tooth. This allows the dental crown to fit into the natural line of your smile without adversely impacting bite position and alignment.
Once your tooth is prepared, we capture impressions. These reflected images of your prepared teeth will be used by our skilled dental lab technicians to create a custom dental crown. To protect your smile in the meantime, we will place a temporary crown. This dental crown is made from softer materials, and it is not permanently affixed. You should be careful to avoid chewing with that part of your mouth until we receive the final restoration.
After your custom dental crown arrives in our office, you return for the second visit. This appointment is much shorter than your preparation. We simply remove the temporary and check the fit of your custom crown. If the custom restoration fits properly, we cement it into position, and you leave with a flawless smile. In rare instances, we may need to send the crown back for adjustments, but this only happens in a very small percentage of cases.
How Do I Care for My Dental Crown Restoration?
Once your dental crown is in place, you can brush and floss as usual. You may want to consider switching to a softer toothbrush or minimally abrasive toothpaste to avoid unnecessary dental wear, especially if you have a porcelain or ceramic restoration. Waxed floss or flossing tools that use air or water may also be beneficial to avoid pulling or tugging around the dental crown. During your six-month dental exams, we’ll carefully examine your smile for signs of wear and help you keep your crown whole and functional.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns vary in size, shape, and color, so you are unlikely to discover the cost of these restorations before meeting with Dr. Fisher and our team. Determining the cost of dental crowns in Greensboro requires an examination and understanding of what kind of damage has occurred as well as how many teeth are affected. This type of information will give us what we need to formulate a price that we will review with you.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Dental Crowns
There are many reasons why you might need one or more dental crowns, including damage, dental decay, or a serious infection, so when meeting with Dr. Fisher about restorative treatment, you can expect him to take a thorough approach.
Not only will he base the cost of your treatment on the severity of the damage but also on how many crowns you will need, whether you require additional preliminary care (i.e., root canal treatment, dental implants, etc.), and the type of material that will be used to craft these restorations. At our dental office, we use gold, zirconia, porcelain fused to metal, and all-ceramic crowns.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are often considered a major restorative service, although not always. This is why it’s important to review your dental insurance policy to determine what kind of coverage you can expect to receive. Many companies will pay anywhere from 50-80% of the total cost as long as you’ve already met your annual deductible. These details can be addressed with the help of our dental team, as we will review your plan and identify the most lucrative way for you to save when receiving restorative care.
Other Options for Making Dental Crowns Affordable
If you are uninsured, do not assume you will be unable to afford your dental crowns. Instead, you can ask a member of our team about enrolling in a low- or no-interest financing plan through CareCredit. Similar to a credit card, you will pay the full amount on the day service is rendered; however, it will not come out of your pocket. Depending on the plan you choose, you will pay off your treatment over time based on the length and amount you agree to when enrolling. This not only makes it easy to stay within your budget but also serves as an affordable solution when private insurance is not an option.
Dental Crown FAQs
How Long Will My Dental Crown Last?
Depending on the material the crown is made from, most crowns last somewhere between five and 15 years before natural wear and tear necessitates a replacement. Make sure to follow the dental crown care guidelines listed above to help your restoration last as long as possible! Dr. Fisher can also provide you with some personalized advice to ensure you make the most of your crown.
Does It Hurt to Get a Dental Crown?
Because we numb the affected area of your mouth beforehand, placing a dental crown should cause little to no discomfort. That said, you may experience a bit of soreness for a few days after receiving your crown, especially if we have to remove some enamel from the tooth. This should be temporary, but in the meantime, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen as needed.
What’s the Difference Between a Temporary Crown and a Permanent Crown?
A temporary crown acts as a placeholder while the dental lab technicians craft your permanent one. This process can take a few weeks, which is why a temporary is necessary to shield your tooth until then. Temporary crowns are often made from less durable materials, like stainless steel or acrylic. The material that bonds the temporary to your tooth is also weaker. For that reason, avoid eating particularly chewy or sticky foods until you receive your permanent crown, as they could dislodge the temporary.
How Much Do Dental Crowns Cost?
There actually is no fixed price you can expect to pay for a dental crown. Since each crown is custom-made to meet a patient’s specific needs, our team can’t give you a cost estimate without examining your specific situation first.
Keep in mind that even if you’re worried about the cost of a dental crown, they actually save you money down the road. Not getting a crown when you need one could cause the tooth to decay more quickly, resulting in the need for extraction and replacement – both of which are more expensive than a crown.
Will My Dental Insurance Cover a Dental Crown?
As long as you are receiving your crown to improve your oral health and not just for cosmetic reasons, your dental insurance will likely foot some of the bill. Every insurance plan is different, but most of them consider dental crowns to be a major restorative treatment and will cover between 50% and 80% of the cost.
Our experienced team can help you navigate your insurance plan and maximize your available benefits. If you’re uninsured, we can even provide low- or no-interest financing through CareCredit.