It has happened to everyone. You get a buzzing feeling in your teeth whenever they are subjected to extreme temperatures. It is an aggravating feeling, I can honestly say. Because of this, I always put in a temporary crown first before attempting to fit you with a long-term solution. This will save you a lot of discomfort. You won't be walking around with those tingling sensations during the period that your permanent crown is being made.

What convinces someone to get a crown? Well, there are many factors. Maybe one of your teeth is so weak that you want to protect it from rotting beyond redemption. A crown would also be necessary for a cracked tooth that needs to be held together. Others want to repair a tooth that is already broken or seriously worn out. Some need to support a tooth that has a large filling when the tooth is reduced to a fraction of its original size. If you have a dental bridge, a crown can keep it locked in place. It can also envelope blemished or broken teeth, or simply hide a dental implant.

Here in my Richmond dental office, I would first prepare your tooth for the crown. Your tooth will be probably have a jagged surface, so this has to be filed down. For this to happen, a bit of your enamel will have to be removed. The enamel is the hard covering of your teeth that protects them from germs. That's not all the enamel does because it guards the nerve endings that reside inside each and every healthy tooth root.

Hence, with some of the enamel gone, you will be prone to tooth sensitivity. You can try toothpaste to dull the senses but it is far from adequate. After the filing, I will give you the temporary crown.

I make a mold of your prepped tooth and the opposite tooth. This is important for your bite, so that is will not be uneven. Next, I need to put the temporary crown material into the cast. It is like a throw-back to art classes, where we used to be given free reign with plaster of Paris. The tooth is then ready to receive the makeshift crown, which is cemented on.

And there you have it. Comfortable crown, comfortable tooth.