Does Your Dental Crown Comes with An Expiry Date?

When patients ask how long do crowns last, I usually answer about 10-20 years, or sometimes may be more than this as well. Rarely, does the crown by itself pose any issues such as cracks or chipping of the crown. That being the case, we @ExlDentist being the best dental clinic in Gurgaon/Delhi NCR do not automatically replace crowns that have been in service longer.

Last week a patient came visited us @ ExlDentist, DLF 4, Gurgaon and asked if it was time to replace her single porcelain fused to metal crown since it was pretty old (around 15-20 years old). So I explained her that crowns do not have any expiry date and that we would tell her when it was time for the crown to be replaced.

I would like to discuss some Common Reasons that require Crown Replacement:

Evidence of some deterioration around the margins. This can compromise the tooth’s support structure and weaken the crown’s hold on the tooth. In such cases, we need to remove old crowns, treat the underneath decay and replace it with a new crown.

Cosmetic concerns: Crowns are primarily placed for restorative purposes, but they surely improve the aesthetics as well. Over a period of time, the colour of the original crown may not match the surrounding teeth. If for any reason the old crown is affecting the appearance of your smile and is bothering you, replacing it with new crowns can help improve the look and the confidence.

Wear and Tear: Over the time, the dental crowns can become damaged due to normal wear and tear. This leads to crowns becoming loose, crack, break or develop chips or fractures. This can lead to further damage to the tooth or surrounding teeth. Thus replacing the old crown with new is recommended.

Allergic reactions: Some people develop an allergic reactions to the metal used in their crowns leading to soreness, redness, inflammation in the gums around the crown. This can be a good reason to change the old crown and replace it with a metal free crown.

Gingival Recession: Over a period of time gingivitis or periodontitis can lead to gingival recession or food lodgement issues between the crowns and or adjacent teeth, making it must to remove the crown, deal with the inflammation and make it subside and then prepare a new crown according to the new gum level.

Poor fit: In some cases, an old dental crown may not fit properly or may become loose over time. This can cause discomfort, pain, or sensitivity in the affected tooth. If the old crown is not providing adequate support or protection for the tooth your dentist may recommend replacing it with a new crown that fits properly and provide better support.

There is a risk of causing a problem when replacing a crown that is still serviceable including the crowned tooth becoming more sensitive or even requiring a root canal procedure. To my mind it’s best to continue monitoring older crowns to see deterioration of the adjacent tooth structure.

For any such dental issues you may Contact Dr Priyanka Kumar with over an experience of 15 years working passionately in the field of dentistry and running best dental clinic in Gurgaon/Ncr.