Dental Crowns in Scarborough

Three things mostly: the material, the condition of the tooth underneath, and any groundwork needed first, such as a core build-up or root canal. A crown costs more than a filling because it is custom-fabricated and covers the entire tooth, but it can preserve a tooth that would otherwise be lost. Insurance and CDCP often contribute, and we provide a written quote after examining the tooth.

A well-fitted crown commonly serves for a decade and frequently much longer. Longevity depends on the material, the forces in your particular bite, and daily habits — flossing at the crown's edges, skipping ice-chewing, and keeping up with checkups all extend its life. Nothing in the mouth is truly permanent, so a crown may eventually need replacing, but good care pushes that date far into the future.

The tooth is fully numbed before any shaping begins, so the appointment itself should be comfortable — pressure and vibration, not pain. While you wear the temporary crown, some hot-and-cold sensitivity is normal and typically fades once the final crown is cemented. If the tooth was infected or already aching, we treat that underlying problem first, often with root canal therapy, so your finished crown sits on a healthy, quiet tooth.

It depends on where the tooth sits and what your bite demands of it. All-ceramic crowns offer the most lifelike appearance and suit front teeth beautifully. Metal and porcelain-fused-to-metal options bring extra durability for molars that grind through heavy chewing. There is no single best material, only the best match for your tooth — we lay out the trade-offs plainly and recommend what we would choose for our own mouth.

A filling rebuilds a missing piece of tooth and depends on the healthy structure around it for support. A crown covers the entire tooth in a continuous shell, taking over the structural job when the remaining tooth can no longer be trusted under chewing force. Small to moderate damage suits a filling; extensive damage, deep cracks, or a root-canal-treated tooth usually call for a crown. We recommend whichever the tooth genuinely needs.

For molars, almost always. Root canal treatment removes the tooth's internal blood supply, and over time the tooth becomes drier and more brittle — vulnerable to splitting under chewing pressure. A crown absorbs and distributes that force, dramatically improving the tooth's long-term survival. Front teeth face lighter loads, so a filling sometimes suffices there. We assess each tooth individually rather than applying a blanket rule.

A crown restores one damaged tooth that is still in your mouth. A bridge replaces a tooth that is gone, by suspending an artificial tooth between crowns cemented onto the teeth flanking the gap. So the crown repairs, while the bridge replaces. If you are missing a tooth, we will compare a bridge against an implant and a denture so you can weigh the options with clear information.

Nothing exotic — brush twice daily, floss once, and keep your regular checkups. The critical zone is the gumline margin where crown meets natural tooth, because plaque left there can start decay that undermines the crown from below. Beyond hygiene, spare the crown from jobs teeth were never meant for: cracking ice, opening packaging, or chewing pens can chip porcelain or break the cement seal.

Typically two. The first visit covers shaping the tooth, capturing the impression or scan, and fitting a temporary crown; the second, once your custom crown returns from fabrication, covers final fitting and cementation. A couple of weeks usually separate the visits. If your tooth needs preliminary work such as a root canal or a core build-up, we map out the full timeline for you at the start.

Retrieve the crown, keep it somewhere safe, and avoid chewing on that side of your mouth. Call us promptly, since the exposed tooth underneath is soft and vulnerable without its cover. Keep the area clean, and if needed you can seat the crown temporarily with dental cement from a pharmacy — never household adhesive. In many cases the original crown can simply be cleaned and re-cemented at your visit.

Yes, though not in the crown itself — porcelain and metal cannot decay. The vulnerable spot is the thin margin at the gumline where the crown meets natural tooth. Plaque accumulating there can start a cavity that creeps beneath the crown unseen, which is exactly what we screen for at routine exams. Consistent flossing and gumline brushing keep that margin clean and the tooth beneath your crown healthy.

When a crown can genuinely save the tooth, saving it is nearly always the wiser path. Extraction leaves a gap that shifts your bite and typically demands a bridge, implant, or denture later — often at greater total cost than the crown would have been. Your natural tooth, protected, outperforms any replacement. That said, if we judge a tooth unsalvageable, we tell you honestly rather than selling you a crown destined to fail.