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When to Have a Dental Crown Replaced

Dental crowns play a role in helping you maintain your smile, bite balance, and oral health by restoring teeth damaged by trauma or decay. Surrounding your teeth with durable, tooth-colored ceramic dental crowns restores your tooth shape while providing extra strength and protection.

In addition to rebuilding damaged teeth, crowns provide a stable bridge attachment. But as versatile and durable as they are, crowns aren’t designed to last forever, and knowing when to replace a crown is critical for preventing potential problems.

Marvin Taylor, DDS, and his team are leading providers of dental crowns for patients at Dr. Taylor’s Family Dental Center. Here, learn how to tell when it’s time to replace your dental crowns so you can continue to enjoy all the benefits of better oral health.

Crown damage

A cracked or broken crown is probably the most obvious reason to replace a crown. While crowns are durable, they’re not impervious to damage, and if your crown has a visible crack or chip, you need to replace it. Not only can a damaged crown detract from your beautiful smile, but it can also change your bite balance and expose your tooth to decay and infection.

Changes in your oral health

If the tooth supporting the crown develops a problem, like a cavity or infection under the gum, your crown probably needs to be removed and replaced to fix the underlying problem.

The same is true if your tooth becomes weak or you develop problems in neighboring teeth that require extensive repair. 

Tooth or gum pain

A crown fits comfortably — so much that you won’t even know it’s there. If you develop a toothache or pain in the gum tissue surrounding the tooth, it may be a sign that your crown is no longer fitting the way it should or may indicate the crown is loose. The same is true if you notice changes in how your teeth meet when you bite or chew.

Age of the crown

Crowns can last long when cared for correctly, but they’re not supposed to last forever. If you have a crown older than ten years, it might be time to consider a replacement to avoid damage in the future. This proactive care can be essential in preventing bacteria leakage around an aging crown — damage that can lead to additional tooth damage or even tooth loss.

Appearance of the crown

Crowns are tinted to match your other teeth but can become stained over time. Unlike natural teeth, professional whitening treatments can’t restore crowns. If your crown is badly discolored or stained, you might want to replace it to maintain your smile aesthetics.

Dental crowns are versatile and durable, and with proper care and timely replacement, they can help you enjoy a lifetime of beautiful, healthy smiles. Best of all, offering hours seven days a week, our practice makes it easy to get the care you need when you need it. 

To learn more about crowns or to find out if your crown needs replacing, request an appointment today at Dr. Taylor’s Family Dental Center in Waterford, Michigan.

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