If you have a problem with your teeth, you may be worried that your dentist will recommend a dental crown to fix it. However, a dental crown isn't always a bad thing. Crowns can be quite versatile to fix dental problems in a variety of situations. Here is when your dentist will want to use a dental crown.

Dental Implants

You have a few options to fix a tooth that is completely missing, such as when getting a dental implant. The process involves surgically implanting a post into your jawbone that will hold a dental crown. The integration of the post with the jawbone gives the implant crown added strength so that you can use it just like a real tooth. When getting an implant, using a crown is unavoidable, since the purpose of the procedure is to restore the tooth in a way that looks and feels just like a natural tooth.

Cracked Teeth

If you suffered from some sort of trauma to your mouth that caused a tooth to crack, you have a few options in order to fix it. While dental bonding is a way to build the tooth back up and fill in the parts that broke off, it is not always the most stable restoration method. The bonding material can break off the tooth and cause the damage to get even worse.

Your dentist may recommend placing a crown over the tooth to protect the remains of the natural tooth and give it strength. You can use the existing root of the tooth to hold the crown in place, rather than pull the tooth and use an implant to hold the crown.

Root Canals

A root canal involves hollowing out the center of a tooth to kill the root, which leaves the tooth weak in the process. Since the tooth is still in your jawbone, you can use a crown to give it strength in the same way that a crown is used to restore a cracked tooth.

Dental Bridges

Missing a tooth, but have two healthy teeth surrounding it? A dental bridge can be used to fill in the gap. This is done by placing a crown that holds an artificial tooth on the two surrounding teeth. It essentially forms a bridge and is an alternative for those that do not want to go through the process of having a post inserted for a dental implant.