When Would Your Dental Crown Need Replacing?

Like your natural teeth, dental crowns are designed to be strong, but are not impervious to breaking or fading. With proper care, your dental crowns can last for many years, but they will eventually have to be replaced or repaired.

Should your crown break after an accident, such as biting down on unpopped popcorn kernels or falling, try to remove it from your mouth immediately to avoid swallowing it, and then schedule an emergency session with at a clinic like Rose City Dental Care to have the crown replaced. Because a broken crown could expose pulp to bacteria, leading to sensitivity, bleeding or pain, you'll want to get it fixed as soon as possible. Here is a look at other reasons why you may need to have a crown replaced.

Excessive wear

Dental crowns are made of porcelain which has approximately the same wear characteristics as tooth enamel, which is why neither your crown nor your natural teeth wear each other excessively.

However, biting down on your crown over the years could lead to damage to the seal of the crown, leaving the inside of the tooth exposed. Grinding or clenching your teeth also adds pressure to the crown surface and may eventually cause a crack, which could develop into a bigger gap over time.

If you move your tongue on over your crown and notice a hole or crack, you should visit your dentist immediately so that the extent of the damage can be examined. In instances where the break or dislodgment is too severe, the dentist may schedule a replacement.

Loss of cosmetic appeal

Crowns can over time lose their appeal, necessitating a replacement. This could occur after progressive gum recession takes hold, exposing the metal part of the crown which was initially tucked out of sight beneath the gum line.

The edges of a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown are grey and dark, and they will definitely spoil the cosmetic appearance of your false tooth if exposed. To eliminate the conflict, your dentist may recommend that the crown be replaced.

In other cases, the crown can fail to resemble the color of your other teeth as the years elapse. This does not occur as a result of the porcelain crown fading, but rather the other teeth changing color due to staining or fading.

Dentist will attempt to whiten the natural teeth to restore their natural color and get them to match the shade of the crown, but in cases where the darkening or staining is too severe, the offending crown will usually have to be replaced with one that resembles the surrounding teeth.