How to Remove a Cap off of a Front Tooth
- 1). Attend the appointment scheduled with the dentist that diagnosed the need for the crown to be removed. The most common reasons for crown removal are, fracture of the porcelain, an open margin; the area where the tooth and crown meet, and recurrent decay. Likely, the need for crown removal diagnosis occurred during a routine examination.
- 2). Allow the dentist to anesthetize the tooth to have crown removal. She will do this with an injection of lidocaine and carbocaine. A topical anesthetic gel applied to the tissue prior to injection minimizes discomfort. Many dentists also use nitrous oxide to reduce patient anxiety.
- 3). Lay back, relax and allow the dentist to remove the crown. The dentist uses a high-speed hand piece or drill, with a diamond bur or drill-tip. She uses these to cut through the front of the porcelain on the crown, from the gum line margin, all the way to the incisal, or biting edge of the tooth. The cut is only 1 mm wide. Once he gets through the porcelain; changing the bur to a metal-cutting bur is necessary to continue. Once she has cut through the porcelain and metal -- and reaches tooth structure -- a flat-edged instrument wedges the two sides of the cut apart. The crown, released from the tooth, comes right off.
- 4). Allow the dentist to complete the procedure to create a new crown. He will refine the preparation on the tooth with the hand piece. Impressions are taken of the new crown preparation, and sent to the laboratory for crown fabrication. A temporary crown will be placed to protect the tooth, until the new crown is ready.
- 5). Schedule a return appointment for the new crown to be cemented in place.
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