With time our teeth endure injuries and other wear and tear, causing them to lose their size and shape. Crooked teeth are conspicuous when we talk or smile, which makes us feel awkward in social gatherings. A dental crown is a perfect restoration process that improves the appearance of your teeth, enhances their functionality, and protects it from further decay and damage.

Dental crowns are a durable option, but they do not last for life. Most dental caps have a life between five to fifteen years, and they need to be either repaired or replaced after they no longer perform optimally. Sometimes it would be evident that you need to replace the crown, such as if it has fallen off or has suffered severe damage; in other situations, damage to the cap is less obvious. You must understand and take measures if your crown is damaged, as ignoring it would lead to more pain and discomfort.

Let us learn more about how to understand your crown needs replacement and how many times you can replace it.

Dental Crowns Explained

A dental crown or cap restores the size, shape, and strength of a damaged tooth: 

• Dentists often use these caps to cover teeth treated with root canals or dental implants.
• The cap resembles a natural tooth in color and can be made from various materials such as porcelain, resin, ceramic, or metal.
• The cap fits on your entire tooth snugly (like a hat), and your dentist removes a small portion of your tooth’s enamel to ensure proper fit.
• You need excellent oral hygiene and care to ensure the longevity of the caps. If appropriately maintained, crowns can last up to fifteen years.
• Dental caps are used for a multitude of reasons, such as:
  • Make a weak tooth strong.
  • Support and protect a cracked tooth.
  • Cover dental implants or root-canal-treated teeth.
  • Hold a dental bridge in place.
  • Restore a broken or worn-down tooth.
  • Cover imperfections in a tooth, such as severe stains or discoloration.

Signs Of a Damaged Crown

Once your doctor fits the cap, your bite would feel completely normal, so one of the telltale signs of a damaged crown is when your bite starts to feel uneven. Some of the other signs include:

• Cap’s age – Even if you care for your crowns, they are meant to last only up to fifteen years. Doctors recommend replacing your cap every ten years to prevent dental caps from failing.
• Gums around the capped tooth are receding – If the gum tissue around the cap is pulling away, it could indicate you have gum disease, or your cap is not appropriately placed. You might have to seek periodontal treatment in this case.
• Wear and tear – With time, you will notice that the functioning of your dental crown is not as great as it used to be. When you grind food, the crown’s surface undergoes wear and tear, causing it to lose grip on your tooth. Wear and tear is also possible if you suffer from bruxism (grinding of teeth) or have a bad oral regime, and you might have to replace your cap more frequently.
• Pain and swelling – A metal cap rarely breaks or chips, but the porcelain one can sometimes suffer damage to the surface due to everyday use. Cracked or broken crowns can expose your tooth, causing swelling, tenderness, and pain. If the cap is damaged or fractured, you must restore the cap’s integrity to ensure the underlying tooth is protected.
• Cosmetic issues – Patients opt for crown restoration mainly due to aesthetic reasons. But if the cap chips or breaks, it affects their smile. The porcelain fused to metal caps can form a dark line on the tooth’s surface if you have receding gums. If your cap has lost its cosmetic appeal, you might want to replace it.

How Many Times Can I Replace My Dental Cap?

It all depends on your underlying tooth’s condition and also the reason why you wish to replace the cap. Below are a few common reasons people want to replace their dental caps:

• You do not like the cap though there is nothing wrong with it – If there is nothing wrong with the cap, you can replace it as often as you want. With that, we mean there is no decay of your underlying tooth, and your dentist can remake and replace the cap without damaging the tooth underneath.
• The tooth under the cap has decay – If there is a cavity in the tooth under the cap, you would first need to get the cavity removed. Once the cavity is removed, you will be left with lesser natural tooth structure, and your tooth cap will be less stable. If you need to drill away your tooth each time you have a cavity, you will be left with negligible tooth structure to support the cap. So, in this case, you can replace your cap a limited number of times. It also depends on the cavity size; for a big cavity, you can replace your crown just once.
• Broken crown – You can replace a fractured cap easily. Your dentist just needs to remove the broken cap and take a new mold of your tooth and get a new crown made. Since you do not need to remove any tooth structure, you can replace a chipped or broken crown as many times as you want.
• Receding gum line – If your gums are receding due to gum disease, you could replace your crown as many times as you want. All your doctor needs to do in this case is to remove the cap and extend it to cover your teeth till the point it meets your gum. It is not necessary to drill away a lot of tooth structure in case of receding gums.

Dental crowns are a fantastic option to replace missing, broken, or chipped teeth. You can replace the caps based on the condition of your underlying tooth. You might not be able to replace a cap as often if the underlying tooth has decayed. But in most cases, you should be able to replace the caps as often as you want.