If you're considering dental caps, you may wonder how the procedure is beneficial to your health and appearance. Caps are one of the least invasive and most simple cosmetic procedures that can improve both dental health and the appearance of a your smile.
1 . Protection from Decay*
One of the most common reasons that dentists recommend dental caps is due to tooth, root and gum decay. If you have significant decay in these areas, you will most likely require a root canal before you can be fitted with caps in order to clean out the infection. If untreated, decay in the mouth can lead to greater risk of stroke and heart attack.
Once the infection is treated, your infected teeth will be shaved down to make room for the caps that will be placed on top and blend in with surrounding teeth. The new caps will help protect this fragile area from further decay.
*However, caps are not impenetrable armor over real teeth. You must still brush and floss regularly to keep particles from becoming trapped under the caps and further decaying the real tooth and roots underneath.
2. Protection for Cracked and Broken Teeth
In what is both a health and a cosmetic benefit, caps offer protection for cracked and broken teeth. Cracked and broken teeth are more susceptible to decay and infection from bacteria because they are more difficult to clean. Cracked and broken teeth are also less attractive than undamaged teeth, so caps that cover the broken teeth can cover up the imperfection discretely.
3 . Replacing Chipped Teeth
Sometimes a dentist or cosmetic specialist may recommend bonding chipped teeth to make them appear more regular, but if a tooth is significantly chipped, dental caps can be used in place of bonding. Caps can both improve the appearance of the tooth and protect from bacteria and food particles. As with cracked and broken teeth, chipped teeth are more prone to decay and infection.
4. Correcting Misshapen Teeth
Teeth that are naturally misshapen can stick out in your smile. Dental caps can correct irregularities by replacing the misshapen tooth (except for a small, shaved-down portion, which will be covered) with a more regular tooth that appears more attractive. This can also be a health benefit, as irregular teeth that leave gaps in teeth can be more difficult to clean and more prone to gum disease.
5. Quickly Correcting Minor Crookedness
Caps are also one of the fastest solutions for correcting minor crookedness in teeth. By shaving down the teeth that are out of line and covering them with caps that are in line with the rest of the teeth, you can get attractive, straight teeth in as little as 2 weeks (as it takes a couple of weeks for the caps to be molded). However, caps cannot be used to correct major cases of crookedness.
Dental caps can improve both the health and appearance of your mouth--and you can get caps for more than just health reasons. However, if you're considering caps only for cosmetic reasons, you might ask your dentist or cosmetic specialist about veneers, which are similar and require less of the real tooth to be shaved than caps do.
