If one of your teeth is badly damaged, don't consider it a lost cause just yet. In the past, extraction was often necessary for badly damaged teeth. Fortunately, nowadays, dental crowns make it possible to protect and strengthen teeth – even teeth that have little remaining tooth structure.

If you currently don't have any dental crowns, you may wish to learn more about how they can benefit damaged teeth. This article will explain how dental crowns can strengthen damaged teeth.

Dental crowns act as armor for damaged teeth

Two common types of crowns are porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns and porcelain crowns. While made of different materials, both these types of crowns achieve the same purpose. That is to cover what remains of a damaged tooth and act as that tooth's armor against bacteria and further physical trauma.

Before your dentist can place a crown over your tooth, they must first reduce the size of the tooth. They will also shape the structure of the tooth to better accommodate the crown. Once the dental crown is ready, your dentist will use dental cement to glue the crown to the prepared tooth surface.

Once your crown is in place, it will allow you to chew foods comfortably. And if you currently experience sensitivity in your damaged tooth, a dental crown will solve that issue too.

PFM crowns provide more durability than porcelain crowns

When a back tooth has suffered extensive damage, PFM crowns are often the best approach because they are more durable than porcelain crowns. PFM crowns consist of a metal base with a porcelain crown on top. Together, both of these durable materials provide excellent protection for back teeth.

Back teeth do the bulk of the heavy chewing, which makes PFM crowns ideal for badly damaged back teeth. However, PFM are not ideal for front teeth since the metal base is sometimes visible along the gum line.

Post and core crowns can strengthen badly damaged teeth

Even if your tooth only has a small portion of its structure intact, you may still be able to strengthen it with a dental crown. When there is little tooth structure remaining, a post and core crown might be enough to provide the tooth with the protection it needs.

Post and core crowns may have one or more posts attached to them. The remaining root canals of a damaged tooth can house one or more posts. Once the posts are in place, your dentist will seal the root canals and then place the dental crown.

Dental crowns give you the option to save damaged teeth. If your tooth is damaged and you don't want to extract it, see your dentist for a restorative dental care examination. Together, you can decide which type of crown is best for your case.