A dental crown is a tooth restoration that resembles a little cap, tooth-like on the outside and hollow on the inside. Your Winston-Salem dentist will use a crown to protect a damaged tooth by covering it completely. Most modern dental crowns are lab-created from high-grade porcelain because this material resembles the color and translucence of natural tooth enamel. However, most forms of damage will require that we replace a crown, with a few exceptions.
The conditions where you are assured that your dental crown is irreparable are complete breaks or cracks. For example, porcelain crowns are pretty durable when intact but are brittle when fractured. However, cases do exist where your dental crown may be repaired. For instance, if your crown becomes dislodged but is otherwise intact, Dr. Pryor can recement it in place after ensuring it still fits and adjusting it where possible.
Small chips may also be insufficient to compromise your dental crown, and Dr. Pryor may evaluate its condition and recommend dental bonding to repair and reinforce your dental crown. We perform bonding by using tooth-colored composite, like what we use to fill cavities, to fill in minor damage, and sculpt your tooth to look natural. Then, we use a specialized light to cure the composite once we have the right shape, and the repair may not even be noticeable.