What Will My Dental Crown Appointment Look Like?

You have a dental crown appointment coming up, and you’d like to know what to expect. There’s no shame in that! It’s human nature to question unknowns. Crown treatments are surprisingly simple once you get down to it; they can be boiled down to four basic steps. If you’d like to know more about what your dental crown appointment will look like, keep reading.

Consultation and Examination

Technically, you may not have a consultation the same day as your treatment. However, this important meeting sets the foundation of the dental crown process! This is when you and your dentist will coordinate your smile goals, preferences, and schedule. It’s also when they’ll examine your mouth and take impressions of your teeth. Basically, the idea of a consultation is to set your treatment up for success.

Anesthesia

When you do arrive to your appointment, you’ll be greeted at the desk and escorted back to the patient’s chair as usual. For a treatment like this, though, the very first thing your dentist will do is ensure your comfort by administering a local anesthesia. Don’t worry – modern anesthetics are quite effective. You’ll be completely numb as your dentist works.

Reshaping Your Tooth

Once the anesthetic takes effect, your dentist will begin reshaping your damaged tooth. That means they might file it down to a smaller size, or shave a bit off here and there. This is to simply make sure your future crown will fit securely and comfortably, so rest assured your dentist will be as minimalistic as possible.

Crown Placement

To wrap-up this part of the process, your dentist will finally place your temporary crown.

“Hold on,” you might be thinking, “temporary crown? What does that mean?”

A temporary crown is a cheaper, less durable version of your permanent crown. Your dentist doesn’t want to risk exposing your damaged tooth to further harm, but at this point, their partners at the dental lab will still be customizing your “real” crown. You’ll receive it at a follow-up appointment, where your dentist will make the simple swap.

After your crown (temporary or otherwise) is properly secured and polished, you’ll be free to go!

In Summary

Crown placement isn’t the most complicated dental treatment out there, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have questions. If you think of any, be sure to call your dental team. They want you to feel as comfortable and confident as possible going into your treatment, and would be happy to address your concerns.

About the Author

Dr. Christopher Cowell has over 20 years of experience in the field of dentistry. In that time he’s placed many dental crowns, so if you have questions or concerns about your upcoming appointment, you can be rest assured that he’ll address them! To contact Dr. Cowell’s office, call 386-734-8585.