Caps for Your Teeth                  www.BocaRatonCosmeticDentalCare.com

                 What is a cap?

A Cap (crown) is a way of making your tooth smooth and healthy. It replaces some or all of the outer part of the tooth. Caps fit over and are bonded or cemented (glued) onto your tooth.

It is a long-term answer for any of your teeth which are badly decayed, heavily filled, or unsightly.

Caps (crowns) are usually made of gold or ceramic (or a combination of the two) and they are also called "crowns".

A cap may cover all or part of your tooth. Smaller caps are sometimes called inlays or onlays. The line that separates inlays and onlays and caps is a little blurred, so here we usually refer to all as caps (crowns).

                    Your "Preparation Appointment".

At this visit we remove the damaged and decayed parts of the tooth, and any old or broken fillings. Once the tooth is cleaned out we will know if a core build up or a post is needed. If needed it will serve to hold the crown to the tooth. The tooth will be completely sealed inside the cap.

Most often we only work on the insensitive outer layer - or enamel layer - of your tooth. It is   usually not painful.

                     Afterwards...

Your tooth will be protected by a very thin plastic coating. This is commonly referred to as a "temporary" cap. It will protect the tooth while the lab is handcrafting your beautiful new crown (cap).

Sometimes, it can be sensitive to hot and cold things, and your gum may be a little sore. You may need to take a mild pain killer like Advil or Tylenol.  Keep your tooth very clean - we do sympathize with you if the tooth is sensitive. The tooth will not decay if you don't clean well for the short period, but it will make fitting the cap more difficult. Warm salt water rinses should be performed several times a day.

You can eat on teeth which have been prepared for caps - it does them no harm.

If you are having front teeth capped, and your appearance needs to be restored to normal you will have Plastic Temporary Caps. Be careful, because the plastic is not very strong, and it is only stuck lightly to your tooth so we don't damage your tooth when we remove it. Please try to avoid eating on these temporary caps, because they can come off.

                Your "Fitting Appointment"

I will custom fit your cap to your tooth and bite. It will feel tight between the teeth initially. This will go away shortly. The bite will feel "a mile high". This is normal and I will adjust the bite accordingly. The gums will feel a bit sore initially due to the nature of the procedure, this too will resolve in a relatively short period of time.

Customizing the Bite

After the cap is fitted we customize the bite of the cap. We do this by marking onto the cap's surface with a piece of colored carbon paper, and adjusting the shape of the cap with a polisher.

Your tooth may become a little tender to bite on but usually it is pushed down to it's normal position in a few days. If after a few days, this doesn't seem to be happening, call us--your cap may need further adjusting.

Flossing your new cap

Flossing may be difficult for day or so, and the surface of the cap may feel a little rough because specks of cement stick to its surface.

We like to see you for a check up, within a few weeks after placing the cap on your tooth, to make sure all is well.

            Do's and Don'ts.

Keep your new cap/crown as clean as possible.

Avoid sticky foods, especially those candies at the movies. They can stick to caps very strongly, and can pull them off. If this happens, don't panic, caps can easily be re-cemented.

Please don't chew on bones, or use your capped teeth as tools.

              How long do caps last?

About as long as a fine automobile (i.e. it depends how you look after them).

              Are caps expensive?

Not compared to the cost of replacing the tooth if you lose it, and on a year per dollar basis, less expensive than large fillings, which need replacing more often.

              Can I get decay under the cap?

Decay cannot start inside your cap, only at the edge.

It is important to keep the edges of your cap free of plaque, by daily brushing and flossing. If you are at all unsure how to do this, we will be very happy ro help you.

              Do caps come off?

Very rarely. We do many caps, and if caps came off very often, we would spend all our time replacing them.

Eating sticky candy is the most common cause of loosened caps, no matter what cement is used.

There is no such thing as "permanent" cement. Caps can loosen and come off even with the so called "permanent" cements. 

              Does it mean I can't get any more trouble with my tooth?

When your tooth is very worn, discolored or damaged, caps are the best and longest lasting solution to your problem.

However, the nerve of a tooth that has had a lot of previous damage is more likely to die than that in undamaged tooth. Preparing a very damaged tooth for a cap or large fillings can be the "straw that breaks the camel's back". This happens infrequently in our office because we use a very gentle technique. You can tell if the nerve is dying because the tooth gradually becomes more and more sensitive to pressure or hot or cold things.   If the nerve does die, the tooth can have Root Canal Treatment to remove the nerve, and the cap still remains.

              Do you have to remove a lot of good tooth to prepare

              my tooth for the cap?

No, we hate removing your sound tooth structure as much as you dislike having it removed! Generally all we have to do is remove the damaged or decayed outer parts of the tooth, and any damaged filling.

              Does it hurt?

Since, as a rule, we're usually only removing decay, or parts of the outer, or enamel layer of your tooth, capping your tooth is usually not painful even if you do not have an injection.

Steven H. Feit, D.M.D., P.A.
7000 West Camino Real
Suite 130
Boca Raton, FL 33433

Phone: (561) 338-7535
Fax:      (561) 368-2981
feit@stevenfeit.com