Crowns may be placed for a number of restorative reasons: protect weak teeth from breakage; restore cracked teeth; stabilize a tooth that is unable to hold a large filling; support a bridge and cover a badly shaped or discolored tooth.

Typically, two dental visits are needed for a crown placement. The first visit consists of preparing the tooth for the crown by removing the outer portion of the tooth, taking an impression for the new crown and placement of the temporary crown. The dentist uses the second visit to place the permanent crown on the tooth and make additional adjustments.

There is now another option for a crown treatment that lessens the time required to compete the treatment and may ease financial cost, according to a study in the Sept./Oct. issue of General Dentistry, the clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry. A single-appointment prefabricated post and composite crown offers an excellent temporary in certain situations, is a conservative approach and minimizes reduction of tooth structure. For some patients, it may be an alternative to an extraction and the elaborate process of crown lengthening, buildup and cast crown.