Dental Crowns in Akron, PA
A damaged tooth doesn’t have to mean losing it. A cracked molar. A filling that’s finally too big to hold. A tooth that’s had a root canal and needs protecting. These are the moments a crown makes the difference between saving a tooth and losing it — and they’re moments we’ve walked patients through here in Akron for nearly fifty years.
At Gotwalt Dentistry, a crown isn’t a procedure we hand you a quote for and schedule. It starts with understanding why the tooth failed in the first place, so the next one lasts.
When a Crown is The Right Answer
A dental crown is a custom cap that covers the entire tooth, restoring its strength and shape. Where a filling repairs part of a tooth and a veneer covers just the front, a crown takes over the structural work of the whole tooth.
We may recommend one when a tooth has:
- Decay too extensive for a filling to hold securely
- A crack or fracture that needs holding together
- Been treated with a root canal and become brittle
- Worn down significantly, often from grinding
- A large old filling that’s beginning to fail
Crowns also anchor a dental bridge and complete a dental implant.
Crown or filling? If enough healthy tooth remains to support a filling, we’ll place a filling. We’d rather use the conservative option and keep watch than remove tooth structure you can’t get back. Once the walls of the tooth get thin, though, a large filling becomes a weak point instead of a repair — and that’s when a crown is the better call.
What to Expect at Your Appointment
The dental crown procedure is typically completed with two visits to our Akron, PA, dentist office. Prior to your treatment, Dr. Sara will perform a comprehensive examination to look for any signs of instability in your bite that should be addressed for lasting results.
Diagnostic imaging and impressions will be taken during your first visit to be utilized in the creation of your custom-made dental crown. Dr. Sara will prepare the tooth’s surface by removing the necessary amount of tooth structure to support your new dental crown and ensure a comfortable fit. A temporary crown may be placed until your final restoration is ready.
At the second visit, Dr. Sara will place the dental crown, make adjustments for fit, and permanently attach the new restoration to your natural tooth. Your dental crown should last a lifetime with proper oral hygiene and regular preventive dental care.
Why Patients Choose Us for Their Dental Crowns
We look at your bite before we touch the tooth. Most crowns that fail early don’t fail because of the crown. They fail because of how the teeth come together. Before Dr. Sara prepares a tooth, she evaluates your bite for instability — the grinding, clenching, and uneven contact that quietly destroys restorations. Fixing the tooth without addressing what broke it means doing this again in five years. It’s a step a lot of offices skip, and it’s why our crowns hold up.
A practice built on staying, not turnover. Dr. John Gotwalt opened this practice in 1977. His daughter, Dr. Sara Gotwalt, leads it today, joined by Dr. Stephanie Berg Stephens, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Many of our patients have been with us across three generations. When we place a crown, we expect to be the ones checking on it in a decade.
Comfort is a plan, not a promise. If dental work makes you anxious — especially work involving a drill and two appointments — tell us when you schedule. We offer sedation options, we explain each step before we do it, and we go at your pace. A lot of our patients came to us after years of avoiding the dentist entirely.
You’ll know the cost before we start. No surprises. We review your treatment plan, your insurance benefits, and what you’ll owe before any work begins.
Schedule Your Appointment
Whether you’re facing a crown for the first time or an old one needs attention, we’ll take a look and explain your options plainly — no pressure, no jargon.
Gotwalt Dentistry • 112 S 7th St, Akron, PA 17501 •. 717-627-6980
Serving Akron, Lititz, Ephrata, Denver, Manheim, and Lancaster County since 1977.