Dental Crowns – Columbia, TN

What Are Dental Crowns?

Also called a “cap,” a dental crown is a personalized restorative dentistry solution that fits over a damaged, decayed, or otherwise flawed tooth to protect it and renew its ability to help you eat and smile. While crowns are most commonly used to shield a vulnerable tooth from additional damage, they can also be used for cosmetic reasons – such as to improve the appearance of a severely stained or chipped tooth.

Depending on your unique oral health situation as well as your preferences, we can make dental crowns out of the following materials:

• Precious metal (gold or silver)
• Porcelain fused to metal
• All-porcelain or ceramic

Typically, we recommend metal crowns for teeth toward the back of the mouth, as metals are better able to withstand the daily pressures of chewing. The other two options can be color-matched to blend in with your surrounding teeth while also still being fairly durable, so we often place them on front teeth.

The Dental Crown Treatment Process

Not counting a consultation with your dentist in Columbia, you can usually expect the dental crown process to take two appointments. The first visit involves preparing your tooth. We may either remove a thin outer of layer of enamel or build up the tooth using filling material to ensure the tooth can adequately support a crown. Next, we capture impressions of your teeth, creating a mold that our partnered dental lab uses to craft your restoration.

This process may take a few weeks. In the interim, we will likely place a temporary crown to protect your tooth. Once the final crown has arrived at our dental office, you’ll return for a much shorter appointment, during which we remove the temporary, make any last-minute adjustments to the permanent crown, and cement it into your tooth.

Benefits of Dental Crowns

In the old days, there was not much that dentists could do to salvage a severely damaged tooth. In fact, they would often simply remove these teeth entirely. These days, though, tooth extractions are only used as a last resort when no other treatment can save the tooth. The invention of dental crowns played a key role in that process. Dental crowns help you retain your natural teeth by protecting them from further breaking down and necessitating extraction.

Additionally, dental crowns can effectively conceal cosmetic imperfections in your teeth. Whether you have stubborn dark stains that do not respond to teeth whitening treatment or small chips or cracks that do not threaten the structural integrity of your tooth, crowns can make these flaws instantly disappear. Plus, dental porcelain can be customized to mimic the exact shade of your surrounding teeth, guaranteeing seamless results.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Crowns

Not all dental crowns are the same, and the number of crowns needed will vary from patient to patient. As such, it’s difficult to say exactly how much the dental crown process will cost you overall. Rest assured, though, that we won’t ask you to make any decisions without a price to work with; an estimate will be created once we have examined your mouth and considered your needs. Here’s a breakdown of what can affect the cost of dental crowns as well as what your payment options are.

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Factors That Affect the Cost of Dental Crowns

You can always talk to our team to learn how we came up with the estimate for your dental crown. Here are some of the biggest factors that we might mention:

• Severity of the Damage: Did you just break one tooth, or are there several that have been damaged? You’ll pay for an additional crown for each tooth that’s in need of repair.
• Additional Procedures: Are you getting a crown as part of another treatment? If so, then it could affect the amount you pay.
• Materials: Are you getting a metal crown, an all-porcelain crown, or a porcelain fused to metal crown? Not only does each option come with its own advantages, but they have different prices as well.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?

It’s never a good idea to make assumptions when it comes to dental insurance. Before you start any kind of dental work, we suggest that you call your insurance company to confirm that they offer coverage for dental crowns. You can also ask one of our team members to go over your benefits with you if you’re unsure about anything.

Having said that, the majority of dental plans do indeed help pay for crowns since they’re often classified as “medically necessary.” If your insurance policy follows a 100-80-50 structure, the coverage for crowns will likely be around 50%.

We accept both in-network and out-of-network plans. Our in-network insurance companies include Delta Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, and United Healthcare. Regardless of what plan you have, our team can file your claims for you.

Options for Making Dental Crowns Affordable

Many patients rely on their dental insurance to pay for all kinds of dental treatments. On the other hand, some individuals don’t have dental insurance at all. For this reason, we want everyone who visits our office to know that financing is available.

You can sign up for a CareCredit financing plan that has little to no interest attached. After you have received your crown, you will be able to pay for it in monthly installments. Not having to pay everything all at once can make the price of dental crowns seem much more affordable.

Dental Crown Frequently Asked Questions

Have you been told that you’re in need of a dental crown? This restoration is a great way to keep structurally compromised teeth in good health. However, you may still have some unanswered questions. Here are the answers to some of the most common queries we receive about dental crowns in Columbia. If you don’t see the information that you’re looking for below, don’t worry. Give us a call and we’d be happy to answer your questions and schedule you for an appointment.