Dental crowns are a usual tooth restoration procedure for patients. It is a common solution to a few dental problems. However, it can cost a few hundred dollars to have a crown operation, even with insurance cover, and so a question that we’re often asked is: “Do I really need a crown, or can I get by without it?”

We’re here to iron out some of your queries about getting dental crowns Gold Coast patients prefer, including reasons why they are necessary, how long they last, and any other options. Before getting any crown procedure done, you can understand all your choices and if a crown is really necessary.

Is a Crown Completely Necessary?

Crowns are usually required for tooth cracks. Whilst your teeth are similar to other bones in your body, once you have a crack, the fracture will not heal. In this case, getting a dental crown is absolutely necessary to avoid pain and also limit infection.

You can usually tell if your tooth is cracked as you will experience pain when you bite down. Clearly, this would be a problem every time you eat food. If you have a vertical crack that reaches your gums, you may need a full-coverage crown. Indeed, if the crack goes beyond the gum line you may require root canal surgery, or possibly even tooth extraction. In this case, it is best to treat the problem early on with a crown before it develops into something worse.

However, you should make sure that your tooth really is cracked before applying a crown. Your tooth could just be ‘crazed’, which is not harmful. Craze lines are just simple stress lines and do not affect the structural integrity of your tooth. There are other options to fix them that do not require a crown.

Are There Alternatives to Getting a Crown?

In some instances, a crown may be one of several options. For example, you could go for a filling instead. However, bear in mind that if you do opt for a filling, it may not stop you from needing a crown at a later stage. Also, if you need a big area of your tooth to be filled, the better option is indeed to fix a crown. This is because fillings simply do not give you the same level of protection as a crown does.

Furthermore, if the filling you need is too big, it can cause the tooth to break, which cannot be repaired. In this case, getting a crown as early as possible is definitely the better option.

Do I Need to Get a Crown Immediately?

If you don’t get a crown when you need one and wait to have the procedure done, here are some of the possible outcomes:

• Nothing will happen – the best possible scenario.
• Your tooth may chip, which means a simple repair.
• Your tooth may crack, which would result in definitely needing a crown anyway.
• Your tooth may split, in which cases you’d end up needing to get crown lengthening or extraction.
• Sometimes, you may wait too long, and the situation requires you to have root canal surgery.

With all these scenarios, we’d simply recommend getting a crown fitted as early as possible. If there is a chance you need a crown, it is best not to wait and see if the problem develops into anything worse. In most cases, you’d need to get a crown anyway, so it’s probably best to get a dental crown sooner rather than later if there is a chance you might need one.