A crown is a cap that covers a whole tooth. We use one when there isn't enough healthy tooth left to hold a filling — usually after a crack, a large old filling that's failing, or a tooth worn down over years of grinding.

It takes two visits.

At the first, we numb the area, shape the tooth so the crown has room to sit, and take an impression. You leave with a temporary crown that looks and works like a normal tooth. Most people go back to work the same day.

At the second, usually about two weeks later, the temporary comes off and the permanent crown goes on. We check the fit and your bite, adjust until it feels like nothing, and cement it.

The temporary is the part to be careful with — skip anything sticky on that side until the real one is in.

A crown isn't cosmetic. It's what keeps a damaged tooth from becoming an extraction.