A crown is used to restore a damaged tooth to its normal size and shape. It may be made of gold, other metal, ceramic, or porcelain fused to metal. If your crown will be visible when you smile, your dentist will try to match it to the color of nearby teeth.

Your treatment experience may be as follows:

• Preparing your tooth. A crown needs to be the same size as the original tooth. Your dentist will reduce the damaged tooth so that the crown will fit over it. Then an impression of the prepared tooth and the opposing tooth will be taken.

• Between visits. It will take  1 to 3 weeks for a lab to make your permanent crown. To protect the prepared tooth during that time, you may have a short-term (temporary) crown. Keep your mouth extra clean during this time. To avoid pulling off the temporary crown, pull floss out sideways, not straight up or down. And avoid sticky foods. Ask your dentist in advance what you should do if the temporary crown comes off.

• Fitting your crown. At your follow-up visit, your dentist removes the temporary crown and puts on the permanent crown. He or she checks the fit. After making adjustments, the dentist cements the crown into place. If you have any problems with the crown later, call your dentist.

Call your dentist if any of these problems occur:

• The crowned tooth hurts or feels sensitive to heat, cold, or biting pressure.

• The crown chips, comes loose, or falls out.

• The gums at the base of the crowned tooth swell, bleed easily, or get red or tender.

• The bite does not feel right.