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By now, you’ve probably heard a great deal about dental crowns. You may even have some in your own mouth. If so, chances are your dentist has explained the procedure, the materials used, why you needed them in the first place, etc.

For the uninitiated, what follows is an overview of this remarkable piece of dental prosthetics that can do wonders for teeth damaged by neglect, illness, wear and injury.

What They Are

Basically, dental crowns are nothing more than caps, shaped and colored to resemble, natural healthy tooth material that is slipped over a tooth that is damaged. Most often, they are used for people whose teeth have become worn and/or slightly chipped due to age-related wear; dental crowns are also commonly used to restore teeth that have been subject to decay and are thus weakened. They are also used when teeth have been injured as the result of an accident.

Dental crowns are also used in conjunction with other restorative and cosmetic dental procedures; when bridgework is required, the teeth on either side of the gap for which the bridge is required may receive dental crowns in order to support it. Dental crowns are also used to cover dental implants, or fully prosthetic teeth.

Where They Came From

In their present form, dental crowns relative recent dental innovations. The idea however is quite ancient. The Etruscans, a non Indo-Aryan speaking people who lived in the present-day Tuscany region of Italy prior to their assimilation by the Romans, were known to have performed dental procedures that while crude by modern standards, were remarkably advanced for their time. In those days, the material used consisted of natural tooth material taken from animals or dead people; these were held in place by metal clips.

This particular method of dental restoration was lost with the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, although the Mayans of modern-day Mexico and Guatemala experimented with similar dental prostheses (made from sea shells) while Europe was experiencing the “Dark Ages.”

Modern-day crowns date from the 19th century, when dentists began using porcelain - which is the preferred material today. These early crowns were not particularly comfortable, but they were an improvement over nothing at all.

Crowns Today

Several innovations over the course of the 20th century have resulted in dental crowns that are so comfortable and natural-looking that it is difficult for most people to distinguish them from real teeth.