Reviewed by a licensed dentistTreatment: CrownCode: D2740 and othersQuestion: Trade-offs
Crown: risks and benefits
The short answer
A crown protects a weak tooth from breaking and usually lasts many years. The trade-offs: more of the tooth is shaped away than for a filling, it takes time and money, and once a tooth has a crown, it will always need one.
Side by side
Benefits
- Protects a weak tooth from breaking
- Can hold a cracked tooth together and help keep the crack from spreading, though it can't guarantee that
- Restores the tooth's shape so you can chew normally
- Usually long-lasting: large research reviews find more than 9 in 10 crowns are still in place after five years
- Can improve how the tooth looks
Risks and downsides
- More healthy tooth is removed than for a filling, and that can't be undone
- A small chance the nerve needs a root canal later: about 2 in 100 teeth within five years in one large review. The risk is higher for a tooth that already had deep decay or a large filling
- Decay can start at the edge of the crown if it's hard to keep clean
- The porcelain can chip, or the crown can come loose
- Sensitivity for a while afterward
- Usually two visits with a temporary crown in between, unless the office makes crowns the same day
Questions to ask
- What material do you recommend for this tooth, and why?
- Is this tooth at higher risk of needing a root canal later?
- How long do crowns like this usually last for your patients?
- What should I do if the temporary comes off?
- How do I keep the edge of the crown clean?
- Before we schedule, can I get my cost in writing? (A predetermination if I'm using insurance, or a good faith estimate if I'm paying myself.)
When a second opinion makes sense
Reasonable if the tooth has little damage, or if you're unsure the benefits outweigh removing healthy tooth.