Dental Crowns
A cracked or badly worn tooth doesn’t wait for a convenient time, and most people keep chewing around it long after it needed attention. A dental crown caps the damaged tooth and rebuilds what’s left of it, restoring strength and shape without pulling the tooth altogether. As part of our Restorative Dentistry services, a crown is often the difference between saving a tooth and losing it. Emerald Dental provides dental crowns at both our Lakewood and Littleton offices.
Curious what your smile could look like in six months?
Smile Fact
Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, yet it cannot repair itself once it is lost.
What Are Dental Crowns
A dental crown is a custom-made restoration that covers the visible portion of a tooth to restore its shape, strength, and appearance. Crowns can strengthen a weakened tooth when there isn’t enough healthy structure remaining for a filling, such as after significant decay, a large filling, fracture, or other damage. Made from materials such as porcelain, ceramic, or zirconia, a crown is shaped and color-matched to blend with your surrounding teeth while restoring normal function.
How Dental Crowns Work
Consultation and Exam.
You’ll talk through what’s actually going on with the tooth, whether it’s a crack, an old filling, or work after a root canal, and get a full exam with digital X-rays to confirm a crown is the right call before anything is scheduled.
Preparation and Temporary Crown.
The tooth is shaped to make room for the crown, and a digital impression is taken so the permanent crown can be custom-made to match your bite and your other teeth. A temporary crown protects the tooth while that’s being built, usually over a couple of weeks.
Placement.
Once the permanent crown is ready, it’s checked for fit, bonded into place, and your bite is adjusted so it feels right, not just looks right.
Recovery.
Mild sensitivity for a few days is normal and fades quickly. From there, the crown functions like the rest of your teeth, no special routine required beyond normal brushing and flossing.
Benefits of Dental Crowns
Most people don’t think about a crown until a tooth cracks, and by then the real question isn’t whether to fix it, it’s whether the tooth is still worth saving.
Often the deciding factor between keeping a tooth and losing it
Seals and protects a tooth that's already had a root canal, which is more brittle than a healthy one
Covers old dark fillings or an uneven shape along with the structural repair
Lets you bite and chew on that tooth again without babying it
Holds up for 10 to 15 years or longer with normal care
Why Emerald Dental for Dental Crowns
Every crown at Emerald Dental starts with an honest look at whether it’s actually the right fix, not an automatic upsell from a filling. Digital imaging and impressions mean the crown is built to fit precisely the first time, so there’s less chance of adjustments or a second visit down the road. Both our dentists in Lakewood and Littleton offer the same standard of care. Meet our doctors on our About Us page.
What Patients Are Saying
Real feedback from real patients across our Lakewood and Littleton offices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need a crown instead of a filling?
It comes down to how much healthy tooth is left. A filling works when enough of the natural tooth remains to support it, but once a crack, large filling, or root canal has left the tooth too weak, a crown is what actually holds it together instead of risking another break down the line.
Is getting a crown painful?
The tooth is numbed before any shaping happens, so the procedure itself isn’t painful. Some mild sensitivity for a few days afterward is normal and fades on its own as the tooth adjusts to the new crown.
How long do dental crowns last?
With normal brushing, flossing, and checkups, a crown typically lasts 10 to 15 years or longer. Grinding your teeth or chewing on ice tends to be what shortens that timeline, not the material itself.
Is it bad that I've been avoiding chewing on that side for months?
It’s a common workaround, and it usually means the tooth has been quietly getting worse the whole time you’ve been avoiding it. The good news is that a crown often fixes exactly the kind of damage that’s been making one side of your mouth feel off-limits.
Will a crown look like a real tooth?
Yes, modern crowns are color-matched and shaped to blend with the teeth around them, not just capped in a generic shade. Materials like porcelain and zirconia are chosen specifically because they mimic the way natural enamel reflects light.
Save the Tooth You've Been Protecting
A cracked or weakened tooth shouldn’t leave you chewing carefully or wondering when it might finally become a bigger problem. A dental crown can restore the strength and protection you need to start using that tooth normally again. Emerald Dental provides dental crowns at our Lakewood and Littleton offices. Schedule a consultation and find out what it would take to protect your tooth for the long term.
Find Us
Two Convenient Locations
Both offices are open Monday through Thursday and accept new patients of all ages.
Lakewood
Emerald Dental Lakewood
12093-A West Alameda Pkwy, Lakewood, CO 80228
Littleton
Emerald Dental Littleton
2731 W Belleview Ave, Littleton, CO 80123