Dental Crowns – Boerne, TX
Natural-Looking, Durable Smile Repair
Here at Boerne Dental Center, we work hard to help our patients maintain healthy teeth throughout their lives. However, dental damage still happens to most people at some point. If you’ve been dealing with a chipped or broken tooth that makes chewing or smiling difficult, then you’ll be pleased to know what we offer a number of restorative services to help, including dental crowns. Our dentists have even invested in CEREC technology, which makes it possible for us to complete the entire crown process in a single visit! To learn more about this natural-looking, durable smile repair, contact our office today. We’ll examine your smile to determine if dental crowns in Boerne, TX are just the treatment your grin needs!
Why Choose Boerne Dental Center for Dental Crowns?
- Same-Day Dental Crowns Available with CEREC® Technology
- Proudly Serving Boerne Families Since 1965
- Results Personalized for Every Single Patient
What Is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a “cap” of sorts that is designed to snugly fit over a damaged tooth, instantly bringing back its full structure, function, and even appearance. While crowns can be made from precious metals like gold and silver, our dentists usually opt for tooth-colored materials like ceramic instead. Not only do these restorations blend in with the rest of your pearly whites, but they shield a compromised tooth from sustaining further damage.
Dental crowns are a versatile solution that your dentist in Boerne may recommend for a number of situations. For example, crowns can be placed in order to:
- Repair a decayed tooth when a filling alone would not be sufficient.
- Hold the pieces of a broken tooth together.
- Protect a vulnerable tooth from additional damage and potentially save it from having to be extracted.
- Strengthen a tooth that has been treated with root canal therapy.
- Support a dental bridge.
- Restore a single dental implant.
- Improve the appearance of a misshapen, worn-down, stained, or otherwise aesthetically flawed tooth.
The Dental Crown Process
Traditionally, getting a dental crown required preparing the tooth, taking impressions, and wearing a temporary crown for a few weeks while the final restoration was being made in an off-site dental lab. At Boerne Dental Center, though, you no longer have to schedule two separate appointments spaced several weeks apart just to repair your tooth. Thanks to CEREC technology, we can design, create, and place your crown in just one visit!
The process is simple. First, we prepare the tooth in question and capture digital impressions (which means no messy putty!). Then, our computer uses these impressions to develop a model of your crown, and our in-house milling machine creates the crown from a block of dental ceramic. After about an hour, the crown is ready, and we’ll make sure it looks and feels natural before cementing it onto your tooth.
The Benefits of Getting a Dental Crown
Even though our crowns are made quickly, they’re still durable enough to provide smile repair that can last for several years. In fact, your crown should be able to last for at least 10 to 15 years with little maintenance beyond the brushing, flossing, and dental checkups you would use to care for your other teeth. Not to mention, your tooth will look as good as new, as we design the shape, size, and color of your crown to mimic your surrounding teeth.
It’s often difficult to chew when you have damaged teeth, but dental crowns help you enjoy all of your favorite meals and snacks again. Lastly, the tight bond that the crown forms over the tooth protects it from harmful oral bacteria and other damage, ensuring that your natural smile is preserved for much longer.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Crowns
When you find out that you need a dental crown, your first instinct may be to check online to see how much the restoration will cost. Unfortunately, this approach isn’t guaranteed to give you the answers that you need; there are a number of factors that can affect the amount that you will pay for your crown. Fortunately, if you visit our office for a dental crown consultation, our team can give you an estimate of what the cost will be.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Dental Crowns
- Related Treatments: The crown itself may not be all you have to pay for; any associated treatments must be taken into account as well. Some crowns are attached to dental implant posts to replace missing teeth while others are placed as a follow-up to root canal treatment.
- The Extent of the Damage: You will only need to get one crown if a single tooth has been damaged. But if two or more teeth are in need of repair, multiple crowns will be required, which can raise the overall cost.
- The Material Used: The material that your crown is made out of can affect the amount that you need to pay for it. At our practice, we typically provide our patients with durable, lifelike ceramic crowns.
- The Method Used: Dental crowns can be made the traditional way or with the state-of-the-art CEREC system. The method used to create your restoration can affect the price.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?
Assuming that the dental crown in question is considered necessary for addressing an oral health problem, the answer is typically yes. Many dental insurance plans will pay around 50% of the cost of a dental crown. No two plans are alike, however, so it’s worth confirming what services are included in your coverage. Additionally, you need to be aware of any factors that could affect the amount your insurance company pays, including:
- Whether you have yet to pay your deductible for the year.
- How close you are to meeting your annual maximum.
- Whether you’re still in the middle of a waiting period.
It’s easy to get confused about the particulars of your dental insurance plan. Our team can go over your benefits with you if there’s anything you don’t understand.
Options for Making Dental Crowns Affordable
Plenty of patients save money on dental crowns (and other services) with the help of dental insurance. However, uninsured individuals still have options to consider. For example, our in-house savings plan allows you to enjoy a number of discounts on various treatments. We also accept CareCredit financing, which makes things easier for patients who might have trouble paying the full cost of their care all at once. If you would like more information about CareCredit or our savings plan, speak to our team.
Dental Crown FAQs
Are same-day dental crowns as strong as ones made in a lab?
Yes, because the material we use to create CEREC crowns is the same one you’ll find in a lab--top-quality dental porcelain. It perfectly mimics the appearance of natural enamel and is incredibly strong and long-lasting as well. When it comes to speed and quality, CEREC allows you to enjoy both without compromise.
How will my mouth feel right after getting a dental crown?
The tooth that has been covered with a crown, as well as the gums in the immediate area, might feel a little sensitive or sore after the procedure. This is perfectly normal and should dissipate after a few days. Taking OTC medication can help ease the discomfort if needed. However, if the pain sticks around for more than a week, gets worse, or you see new redness and swelling, be sure to reach out to our office right away (fortunately, this rarely happens).
Can you replace my metal dental crown with a tooth-colored one?
It depends! If your crown is in good shape and functioning well, we would typically advise against replacing it. That being said, we will definitely replace a crown if the current one is broken, failing, or causing you pain, and we’re also happy to give a patient a tooth-colored crown if they have a metal/discolored restoration placed on a front tooth. Assuming your crown isn’t making you uncomfortable, just let us know at your next checkup that you’re thinking about getting a new one, and we’ll let you know when would be the best time to do so.
Will my dental insurance help me pay for a dental crown?
The vast majority of dental insurance plans can be used to pay for a portion of the dental crown procedure (assuming you’ve met your deductible and haven’t exceeded your annual maximum). Usually, the coverage ranges from about 50-80%, but the specifics depend on the details of your plan. Take a look at your policy, and if you have any questions about how much you’ll be expected to pay out of pocket, just let our team know, and we’ll get those answers for you.