A dental crown is a tooth-shaped "cap" that is placed over a tooth - covering the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and/or to improve its appearance. The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line. Permanent crowns can be metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, all resin, or all ceramic. Crowns are similar to veneers but form around the entire tooth rather than the frontal surface.

During the dental crown procedure, your first appointment will consist of your dentist numbing the tooth and surrounding gum tissue before shaping and reducing the tooth to fit the crown. Once this is done, an impression will be made of the tooth in order for the laboratory to make a custom crown to fit the tooth. After the crown is made, a second appointment will be needed to cement the crown in place. At this time the dentist will ensure the fit and comfort before cementing it in place over your prepared tooth. A small amount of cement will be placed inside the crown, and as the crown pushes over your tooth any excess cement will be removed and your crown procedure is complete.

Recovery time: Aside from the time the procedure lasts, there is not a lot of recovery time associated with crowns.