While your tooth enamel is one of the world’s hardest biological substances, it can still be damaged by things like a fall, blow to the face or bad habits like chewing on pens and pencils. This is even more likely if you participate in contact sports without the benefit of a quality mouth guards.
Should one of your teeth become chipped the damaged surface can invite bacteria to form pockets of tooth decay dangerously close to the sensitive internal structures of the tooth. With this in mind Dr. Scott Howe might recommend restoring a chipped tooth with a crown.
First he will want to examine the tooth and take a few X-rays to make sure the interior of the tooth is healthy. Then he will use a drill to remove the majority of the enamel layer of the tooth. This will leave a structure behind called an abutment. Later, this abutment will serve to anchor your new crown in place.
With the abutment formed Dr. Scott Howe will then take an impression of the area, which will be sent to a dental lab, that creates your permanent crown. Then he will secure a hard plastic temporary crown over the abutment to protect it.
Dr. Scott Howe will call you back in for a brief second appointment, when your crown comes back from the dental lab. To install your crown he simply removes the temporary crown and cements the permanent crown in place over the abutment.
If you have a badly chipped tooth, you should call Dr. Scott Howe at 503.370.7651 to explore your restoration options.