Cosmetic Dentistry Grants and Dental Crowns
CDG can help you get the beautiful, healthy smile you’ve always wanted with a dental crown procedure. Do you want to feel happier, more comfortable, and overall confident? Your smile can be the first thing people notice about you so let’s make it the best it can be! Learn more about the program here.
Cosmetic Dentistry Grants is a program that offers financial assistance towards a dentistry procedure at a participating dental office. CDG does not provide free or fully subsidized dental procedures.
What Are Dental Crowns?
A dental crown is essentially a “cap” that is shaped to fit over and cover a tooth. This is used to restore a damaged tooth’s shape, size, strength, and performance or over a root canal-treated tooth. The crown is cemented into place over top of the tooth to enclose it with full protection.
Dental Crown Eligibility: Who Can Get Them
Anyone can get a dental crown if they need to cover a damaged tooth or implant as long as a dentist deems their teeth suitable to do so.
When You Should Get a Dental Crown
You should consider getting a dental crown if you need to:
- Protect a weak tooth from breaking or cracking
- Restore an already broken or damaged tooth
- Secure and protect a tooth with a large filling
- Cover a dental implant
- Cover misshapen or discolored teeth
- Cover a tooth that has had a root canal
Where to Get Dental Crowns
Cosmetic Dentistry Grants (CDG) will help you find a cosmetic dentist in your area that participates in the CDG program, allowing you to get financial assistance toward your Dental crown procedure.
CDG does not provide free or fully subsidized dental procedures.
Benefits of Dental Crowns
There are many benefits of dental crowns, some of which include:
- Improved Chewing/Eating Support: When you lose or damage a tooth, your chewing and eating habits are often affected. Dental crowns are extremely strong and usually last up to 15 years. This will allow you to continue to eat foods you really enjoy.
- Aesthetic: When a dental crown is made out of porcelain, (the most common material used for crowns), they mimic the appearance of natural tooth enamel. This allows the crown to make your smile look and feel just right.
- Protection: For an existing tooth that is broken, cracked, treated, or decayed, this dental crown will provide protection from bacteria which could cause bigger problems in the future.
- Comfortable: You most likely won’t even feel your crown due to the fact that they are molded to fit the specific shape of your mouth and surrounding teeth.
How Dental Crowns Are Done: What Is the Procedure?
Usually, there will be two main appointments for your dental crown procedure:
The Initial Appointment: Examining and Preparing the Tooth
Most of the work is done at the first appointment. The tooth that is going to receive the crown is first examined with an x-ray to ensure there is no tooth decay, the risk for infection, or injury to the tooth’s pulp. If any of these issues are found, the dentist will first have to perform a root canal treatment before taking the next step or possibly after the preparation of the tooth.
The tooth and gum area will then be frozen and the enamel will be reduced and shaped to fit the crown. If too much of your tooth is missing, the dentist will have to use a filling material to improve the structure of the tooth.
After reshaping the tooth, the dentist will use a putty-like substance to take an impression of that same tooth. They will also take an impression of the teeth surrounding the tooth to ensure the crown won’t affect the alignment of your bite. These impressions are sent to a dental lab where the actual crown will then be made.
Second Appointment: Receiving the Dental Crown
The dentist will remove the temporary crown they have placed during the first procedure. Your dentist will then examine the final crown to make sure it is the right fit and color. If the crown is properly created by the lab and they see no issues, a local anesthetic will be used to freeze the tooth and gums and then the crown will be cemented in place permanently.
How Much Are Dental Crowns?
The cost of a dental crown can vary, depending on the patient’s individual needs for their teeth and the experience of the dentist. Prices can typically run anywhere between $1000 to $3,500 for a dental crown procedure.
How the Cosmetic Dentistry Grants Can Help You Get Dental Crowns
A Cosmetic Dentistry Grant (CDG) is available for those looking to receive a dental crown procedure. The CDG could cover the partial cost of dental crowns. Learn more about the CDG and if you’re eligible to get CDG funding for dental crowns. Apply now!
Types of Dental Crowns
There are many different types of material that can be used for a crown. These include:
- All-Porcelain/Zirconia and All-Ceramic: Provide the best natural match to teeth, the best choice if you are allergic to metal, and a great choice for front teeth.
- Metal: Made of gold, nickel, or platinum. This type of crown usually lasts the longest out of all materials, but does not have the natural color match to the teeth. This is a good choice for teeth that are hidden in the back of the mouth.
Risks of Getting Dental Crowns
It is possible that you may experience some issues after getting a dental crown:
- Soreness and sensitivity: Dental crowns do not fix nerve endings, which can eventually lead to pain or sensitivity to heat or cold. This should only last a few days.
- Loose crown: If a crown becomes loose, bacteria can find its way under the crown and cause the tooth to start to decay.
- Chipped crown: Porcelain crowns can sometimes chip. If there is an extensive chip that can’t be fixed with resin, the whole crown may have to be replaced.
- More tooth reduction: Sometimes a tooth needs to be trimmed more than usual to ensure the crown will fit. This leads to shedding more parts of the natural tooth, which eventually weakens it.
Dental Crowns: FAQ
We are asked many questions about dental crown procedures, so we’ve answered some of the most common questions below:
Why Would a Dentist Recommend a Crown?
If a dentist sees that teeth are at risk for fracture, they will often recommend crowns for those teeth.
What Is the Best Material to Use For Dental Crowns?
Ceramic or all-porcelain are the best options to use for dental crowns. This is because they provide the best natural color to fit your teeth compared to other crowning materials.
Can Dental Crowns Be Reshaped?
Yes, however, it is more difficult to reshape a porcelain crown but small adjustments can be made if need be. If a large change needs to be made, usually the entire crowning process has to be redone.
Can a Tooth Rot Under a Crown?
It is possible for decay to form around the edges of a crown if not taken proper care of. If this is the case, the old crown and the decay is removed and a new crown must be placed.
Is Crown Better Than a Filling?
Yes, a filling won’t always protect the tooth or teeth over a long period of time. If a large portion of the tooth needs filling, a crown will be a more suitable option for you.
Is Replacing a Crown Painful?
You will most likely be put under anesthesia if you are getting a crown replaced. This means the procedure itself will not be painful, but you may have some slight discomfort after.