Dental Crowns - Things to Know about Dentistry

Many people wonder about how long a crown should last and if the life of a
crown depends mostly on oral hygiene and other factors. Another popular
question is whether a cavity can develop under a crown.

First... there is no general rule about how long a crown should last.

The factors involved with longevity are the specific materials used, the
type of crown, the quality of the laboratory engaged in the manufacture, the
competence of the dentist and the level of cooperation the patient was able
to provide during the procedures.

Gold crowns will outlive porcelain crowns 3 to 1. Different studies indicate
crowns tend to endure for 4-10 years depending again on the materials.
Certainly excellent oral hygiene can improve the life expectancy, however
everything man makes fails. Car tires, shoes, stereos and yes dental repairs
wear out.

Dental restorations are subjected to 24/7 of being bathed in saliva, being
pushed and shoved on and generally surrounded by bacteria just waiting for
their turn at further destruction.

Crowns should be replaced when they are first discovered to be leaking and
have recurrent decay. Waiting any longer only increases the damage and the
likelihood of buying a root canal besides a new crown. But just because a
crown is old, does not necessarily indicate that it needs to be replaced.