Do you fear that dentures might be a part of your dental future? Maybe bad teeth run in your family, or you have more filled teeth than fully intact teeth. Issues such as these can leave you fearing what might be in store for your teeth. However, even badly damaged teeth can be restored with dental crowns.

So, before you go extracting your teeth, thus condemning yourself to a possible future with dentures, consider the benefits of dental crowns.

Dental Crowns Prevent Bad Breaks

Each time a dentist replaces a filling on the same tooth, they may need to remove any dental decay that is present. The more this is done, the larger the fillings become. The larger a filling is, the more likely that the tooth will break. If a tooth cracks and the crack extends down into the root canal, your dentist may have to extract the tooth.

One extracted tooth brings you one step closer to a future with dentures. However, if you opt for a dental crown over a large filling, you may get another 15 or more years out of that tooth.  

Dental Crowns Preserve the Surrounding Teeth

It is obvious that chewing comfortably on badly damaged teeth is almost impossible. Similarly, if an area of your jaw is missing a tooth, then chewing on that side of your mouth will be difficult. In both cases, you will likely begin to favour the least uncomfortable side of your mouth when chewing.

Obviously, the side that you favour will become worn at an accelerated rate. The enamel will gradually wear away, and those favoured teeth will be more prone to decay and breakage. However, if you crown a broken or damaged tooth instead of extracting it, you can then use it to chew your food. As a result, you can better protect your teeth by chewing on both sides.

Dental Crowns Prevent Crowding

Another dental issue that can affect your teeth is crowding. Your teeth are always on the move via a process known as mesial drift. Your teeth drift from the back of the mouth to the front. This drifting may cause some slight crowding later on in life. However, if you choose to extract a badly damaged tooth rather than crown it, this could cause severe crowding.

Your teeth contain nerves. Their root tips are also covered with periodontal ligaments. These help teeth to feel. This means they sense the presence of the opposing and adjacent teeth. If a tooth goes missing, the surrounding teeth will shift to fill the space. This will make it harder to clean your teeth, increasing the risk of decay. A dental crown would prevent this issue.

As you can see, dental crowns are a great alternative to extraction. Just because a tooth is badly damaged, that doesn't mean extraction is the only option. You don't have to crown all your teeth at once. It can be a gradual process. If you choose crowns over extraction, dentures will have no place in your oral future. 

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