Dental crowns are an excellent option to repair decayed, cracked, or broken teeth. Also called “caps,” crowns surround a tooth to strengthen and restore comfortable chewing.
We use only the highest quality materials at Echeverri Dental Center to customize beautiful, long-lasting crowns for our Houston, TX, patients. Our dentists take great care to design restorations that match surrounding teeth and blend in with your smile.
How Are Dental Crowns Used?
Crowns are also versatile, and there are many cases where our dentists might recommend them to protect your oral health and enhance your smile.:
Restore a tooth that is too decayed for a filling
Strengthen a cracked or broken tooth
Protect a tooth after a root canal treatment
Conceal cosmetic dental imperfections
Restore a single-tooth dental implant
Support dental bridgework to replace missing teeth
To see if a crown is right for you, our dentist will examine your smile and take x-rays to see what’s happening with the tooth. If you have a cracked or broken tooth, they’ll show you a magnified view of it using an intraoral camera. When you see the problem, you can understand why we recommend a crown and how it will benefit your oral health.
Next, we select the most appropriate material for your needs. At Echeverri Dental Center in Spring Branch East, we offer dental crowns made of porcelain or porcelain fused to metal.
What's Involved with Getting a Dental Crown?
Getting a dental crown typically requires several steps and two visits to our Houston, TX, dental office.
Prepare Your Tooth
At the first crown appointment, we carefully numb the tooth so you won’t feel discomfort. Next, our dentists prepare the tooth by removing some of its structure to ensure the crown will fit perfectly and provide a seamless appearance.
Take Digital Impressions
Next, we take digital impressions that do away with the need for messy, goopy paste. The process is more comfortable and efficient for you, and the result is a highly accurate and precise 3-D digital model of your teeth.
Design Your Custom Crown
Our dentists use specialized software to virtually design your crown by shaping, coloring, and sizing it to look like your existing teeth. We’ll place a temporary on the tooth to protect it while waiting, and a custom dental lab will create your restoration to our precise specifications.
Deliver Your Crown and Place It on the Tooth
When your new crown is ready in about two weeks, you will return to our Houston dental office for the final appointment. Our dentists will remove the temporary and adjust the final crown to ensure that you can comfortably bite down on the tooth. The final step is to cement the crown in place.
When it comes to your smile, you want quality dental treatment that helps you maintain a beautiful, natural look. However, if you’re unfamiliar with different types of dental restorations, it can be confusing. So, if your dentist recommends a dental crown, you may have questions about why you need this type of restoration instead of a filling.
When Are Dental Crowns Necessary?
A dental crown covers your entire tooth; it is a cap used to protect and restore your tooth and is used for the following purposes:
Large cavities or badly-decayed teeth
Large, worn-out fillings
A cracked, chipped, or broken tooth
After root canal therapy
To cover a worn, misshapen, or discolored tooth
The Difference between a Crown and a Filling
Your dentist will recommend either a crown or a filling based on the severity of the damage to your tooth. The main difference between the two is as follows:
A filling is used to repair smaller decayed areas in your tooth.
A crown is used to cover a tooth with more significant damage.
Want to Talk about Crowns in Spring Branch, TX?
If you have any questions or concerns about your oral health, we would be happy to assist you! Echeverri Dental Center strives to help you achieve the healthiest teeth and gums possible. You can call us at (713) 956-8767 for more information.
One benefit of dental crowns is they don't require many changes to your home care routine. You can brush and floss around them easily without altering your routine.
Dental crowns are made from custom-shaded ceramic porcelain to blend flawlessly with your smile. Porcelain crowns can't be whitened once placed, so it's essential to maintain your smile to ensure you don't have a mismatched tooth.
A consistent home care routine: Brushing twice daily and flossing once is recommended for maintaining a healthy smile.
Routine checkups with your dentist: Visiting your Spring Branch dentist every six months for teeth cleanings and checkups protects your smile and dental health.
Avoid certain foods: Sticky and chewy foods could potentially pull off your crown while biting directly into hard foods like carrots or apples could cause fractures or damage your tooth.
Don't bite or chew on objects: Chewing on or biting objects other than food can harm your natural teeth and dental restorations.
Call Our Spring Branch Office To Learn More
Contact Echeverri Dental Center at (713) 956-8767 if you have questions about dental crowns in Houston or Spring Branch.
Dental crowns in Houston, TX, near Spring Branch, are custom-crafted to look like your neighboring teeth. The shape and shade will complement your smile! No one will know which tooth is capped.
What Are Dental Crowns in Houston?
Dental crowns are hollow tooth covers cemented over treated teeth. They protect weak teeth from damage or loss by creating a safe space between the tooth and your bite impact.
They also connect the dental bridge (restoration teeth) to natural teeth, cap dental implant posts, and can be used in cosmetic dentistry to hide tooth imperfections and discoloration.
Dental Crown Care and Upkeep
Dental crown care is simple. You brush and floss them like unrestored teeth and continue seeing your dentist every six months for dental checkups and professional teeth cleanings.
We recommend not biting directly into sticky foods like taffy with your crowned tooth. Also, never use your teeth—restored or otherwise—as tools to open bottles or similar.
Do You Need a Dental Crown in Houston, TX?
Contact us today to learn more about dental crowns or schedule a consultation with the dentist.
We work with most PPO insurance plans and accept third-party financing through CareCredit. Ask a friendly dental team member for more details, including how to apply for financing.
How to Care for Your New Dental Crown
A dental crown from Echeverri Dental Center can last 20 years or longer with proper care. As always, we recommend brushing twice daily, flossing once, and booking teeth cleanings and exams every six months to avoid cavities and gum disease.
Also, be careful when eating hard or crunchy foods like nuts, chips, and popcorn, as they can all crack or chip your crown. Avoid gummy candies or licorice that can pull off your crown and risk damaging the tooth.
Schedule with Us in Spring Branch East to Learn More
If you’d like to learn more about dental crowns, please call our Houston, TX, dentist's office, located in the Spring Branch East neighborhood. We would be happy to answer any questions or concerns and help you schedule an appointment.
Digital crown impressions eliminate the need for goopy, uncomfortable impressions you may have experienced in the past. With digital crown impressions, your dentist obtains a 3-D virtual image of your teeth and measures the exact specifications of your mouth to create the perfect dental mold for your tooth restoration.
Caring for Your Dental Crowns: Dos and Don'ts for Longevity
April 15, 2024
At Echeverri Dental Center, we understand the importance of maintaining the longevity and durability of your dental crowns. Whether you've recently received dental crowns or consider them a treatment option, proper care is essential to ensure optimal function and aesthetics.
Here are some dos and don'ts to help you preserve the integrity of your dental crowns for years to come.
Dos for Dental Crowns
Practice Good Oral Hygiene — Maintain excellent oral hygiene by brushing your teeth at least twice daily and flossing daily. Be thorough, especially around your dental crowns ...
Dental crowns are used widely across dentistry. They restore teeth, conceal flaws, and even play a role in tooth replacement. Because they’re so vital, your Houston dentist uses only the best materials and most trusted labs to fabricate these restorations.
What Is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a restoration shaped like your teeth and color-matched to blend in seamlessly. In its most common role, the tooth crown creates a safe space between your bite force and the tooth beneath to prevent further damage or breakage.
Restore a tooth that is too decayed for a filling
When it comes to your smile, you want quality dental treatment that helps you maintain a beautiful, natural look. However, if you’re unfamiliar with different types of dental restorations, it can be confusing. So, if your dentist recommends a 
brush and floss around them easily without altering your routine. 
The shape and shade will complement your smile! No one will know which tooth is capped.
