When a tooth is damaged, among the dental therapies that can be adopted to solve the problem, there is the encapsulation of the tooth with artificial crowns, a long-lasting solution, but there are cases in which, for different reasons, deems it necessary to replace the dental capsules.
What does it mean to encapsulate a tooth
Using dental capsules, the natural crown of the tooth can be replaced with an artificial prosthesis. The tooth is precisely encapsulated when the natural crown of the tooth is damaged. Thanks to the dental capsules it is possible to restore the tooth its original shape and full chewing and aesthetic functions.
The reasons for using dental capsules
Tooth encapsulation is a practice of conservative dentistry, the goal in fact is to preserve the natural tooth without resorting to extraction, used by dentists as the last of the possible alternatives.
The rehabilitation of the natural tooth through the dental capsules takes place for the following clinical conditions:
- devitalization for deep caries;
- dental trauma;
- deep tooth fracture;
- strongly abraded enamel.
In these cases, the stump of the natural tooth remains completely intact and is covered with an artificial crown.
Dental capsule materials and their duration over time
The artificial crowns with which the teeth are encapsulated are made in dental laboratories and can be composed of different materials. The materials with which they are made also greatly affect their durability.
The main materials of which the dental capsules are made are:
- metal-ceramic;
- ceramic;
- resin;
- metal-composite;
- zirconia.
Replace dental capsules: when necessary
A dental capsule, if made with superior quality materials, such as a zirconia crown, can last up to 10 years.
It should be specified that the patient has a decisive role in the good preservation of the dental capsule over time: a constant practice of daily hygiene and periodic visits to the dentist help to maintain the effectiveness of any dental therapy over time.
However, there are clinical cases in which wear and damage of the dental capsules occurs and consequently it is necessary to have intervention by the dentist and the replacement of the prostheses.
Cases in which it is necessary to replace the dental capsule:
- gingival recession and appearance of the metal border in the presence of a metal-composite or metal-ceramic capsule;
- dental trauma;
- capsule fracture.
Dental capsule removal surgery
The dentist removes the dental capsule through special dental burs.
The clinical evaluation of the underlying abutment will allow the dentist to establish the possibility of replacing the previous dental capsule with a new one.
In the presence of other pathologies it will be necessary to first treat the previous one and then encapsulate the tooth again.
If the abutment of the natural tooth turns out to be seriously damaged and therefore no longer treatable with a conservative dentistry intervention, we will proceed with the extraction and possibly with a rehabilitation through an immediate loading implant surgery.
