Dental crowns provide stability and strength to your natural teeth.

Keeping your teeth healthy is the number one priority for Dr. John Chu and Dr. Mary Lin, your South Pasadena, California dentists. A lapse in regular dental checkups, poor eating habits or accidents can all affect the health of your teeth, leaving them vulnerable to further damage or total loss. However, dental crowns from your South Pasadena dentist can help restore the strength and function of your natural teeth. Here's how:

What are dental crowns?

Dental crowns have been a part of restorative dentistry since the late 1800s when they were referred to as "jackets." Both their names describe their basic function: to top off or cover a damaged natural tooth that cannot sustain any further dental work. They can be made from a variety of materials, including porcelain, ceramic or gold. Once they are designed and cemented into place over a tooth, they restore the aesthetic and practical properties of a tooth that were lost to trauma or decay. They can also be used as "abutments" for a bridge; the crowned teeth hold a false tooth, or pontic, in place where a tooth has been lost.

Why do I need a crown?

While you might easily adapt to losing one tooth, the loss will affect the rest of your oral health. Teeth need to be in a full set in order to function properly; otherwise, they tend to "drift" in an attempt to find a tooth with which to adjoin. Your jawbone needs the root system of each tooth to keep it stable. But with crowns from your South Pasadena dentist, even if the visible part of your tooth is damaged, the rest of your tooth is preserved. This translates into good long-term dental health.

If you think one or more of your teeth might benefit from crowns, don't delay in calling the dental offices of Dr. John Chu and Dr. Mary Lin in South Pasadena, California to schedule a consultation.