Dental Crowns
in Las Vegas, NV
A cracked or worn-down tooth can throw off your entire bite, and putting off treatment often turns a manageable repair into a much bigger problem. Dental crowns solve this by covering the damaged tooth completely, restoring its strength and shape so you can chew, speak, and smile without worrying about further breakdown.
At Smiles for Life Family Dentistry, Dr. John M. Quinn and Dr. Paul M. Leatham design and place crowns that blend with your natural teeth while protecting what remains of the tooth underneath. Crowns are one part of the restorative dentistry services we offer in Las Vegas, and they are often the most direct way to save a tooth that a filling can no longer support.
Why You Might Need a Dental Crown
Teeth weaken for many reasons, including deep cavities, a heavy bite, an old filling that has worn out, or an injury that cracks the enamel. A crown covers the entire visible part of the tooth above the gumline, working like a protective shell rather than a patch.
Left untreated, a weakened tooth can keep breaking down until a crown is no longer enough, sometimes leading to extraction and a more involved replacement. Addressing the problem early is usually the simpler and more conservative path. According to the Cleveland Clinic, crowns typically last 5 to 15 years with proper care. If a tooth has just broken and is painful, see our emergency dentistry page.
What Dental Crowns Do for Your Smile
A crown serves more than one purpose, and knowing which need applies to you helps you understand why we recommend it. We use crowns to:
- Protect a tooth that has been weakened by decay, a root canal, or a large filling.
- Restore the shape, size, and function of a tooth that has broken or worn down.
- Support a dental bridge by anchoring it to the teeth on either side of a gap.
- Cover a dental implant to complete the restoration and match your surrounding teeth.
- Improve the appearance of a tooth that is discolored, misshapen, or otherwise standing out from the rest of your smile.
Whether your goal is protecting the natural tooth structure or supporting a larger restoration like a dental bridge or a dental implant, a crown is often the piece that ties the whole treatment together.
Same-Day Crowns With CEREC Technology
Our office uses CEREC technology to design and mill ceramic crowns in a single visit for many patients. Instead of a putty impression sent to an outside lab, a temporary crown, and a second appointment weeks later, we scan the tooth digitally and make the crown in our office while you wait. Learn more about the process on our same-day crowns and bridges page.
What Happens at Your Crown Appointment
A same-day crown visit follows four main steps.
Same-Day Crowns Compared With Traditional Lab Crowns
Both approaches restore a damaged tooth. The main differences are timing and the number of visits.
| Same-Day Crown | Traditional Lab Crown | |
|---|---|---|
| Visits | One | Usually two, about two weeks apart |
| Temporary crown | Not needed | Worn between visits |
| Impressions | Digital scan | Scan or putty impression |
| Material | Tooth-colored ceramic | A wider range of materials made by a dental lab |
Most patients are good candidates for a same-day crown. For some teeth, such as those that need a particular material or are part of a larger treatment plan, your dentist may recommend a lab-made crown instead and will explain why.
Porcelain and Ceramic Crown Options
Tooth-colored porcelain and ceramic crowns are shaded to match your natural teeth, which makes them a common choice for both front and back teeth. Your dentist chooses the material based on where the tooth is, how much force your bite puts on it, and how it needs to look next to your other teeth. Crowns also complete other treatments, such as dental bridges and dental implants.
Making Treatment Work for Your Budget
Restorative work is easier to move forward with when the cost fits your budget. Our team files insurance claims on your behalf, works with many PPO dental plans, and gives you an estimate of your out-of-pocket cost before treatment begins. Learn more on our insurance information page.
Patients without insurance can ask about our dental savings plan, which offers discounted fees with no yearly maximum, no deductibles, and no waiting periods. Financing through Sunbit or CareCredit can spread the cost over monthly payments, and our financial options page explains how each works.
Have a cracked, worn, or broken tooth? Request a crown consultation with Dr. Quinn or Dr. Leatham.
Why Las Vegas Families Choose Smiles for Life
Dr. John M. Quinn and Dr. Paul M. Leatham plan each crown to match the color, shape, and bite of your surrounding teeth. Same-day CEREC crowns mean many patients leave with a permanent restoration in one visit, without a temporary crown or a second appointment.
If a damaged tooth has been on your mind, our team at Smiles for Life Family Dentistry can help you find the right option, whether that is a same-day crown or a broader restorative plan. Reach out through our contact form to schedule a visit, and we will walk you through each step from your first appointment.
- 8930 W Sunset Rd Ste 190, Las Vegas, NV 89148
- 702-795-2273
-
Mon-Tue, Thu: 8am-5pm
Wed: 7am-6pm
Fri: 7am-3pm
Sat-Sun: Closed