Dental Crowns in Inglewood

A crown is dentistry’s way of giving a weakened tooth its strength back: a custom-made cap, shaped and shaded for your mouth, that covers the tooth and takes the force of chewing the tooth can no longer take alone. Teeth arrive at needing one by a few familiar routes — a crack, a filling grown too large for the tooth around it, decay that has taken too much of the structure, or a root canal that left the tooth brittle. At PhD Dental’s Inglewood office, crowns are planned from an exam and x-rays, explained with their cost in writing before work begins, and made in two visits — preparation and a temporary first, your finished crown at the second. This page covers how you know a tooth needs one, what the two visits involve, what crowns are made of, how long they last, and what one costs.

How do I know if my tooth needs a crown?

The exam decides, but the usual candidates announce themselves in recognizable ways. A tooth that has cracked — visibly, or through the telltale pain when you release a bite. A tooth whose old filling now occupies more of it than tooth does, so the walls around the filling are thin and flexing. A back tooth that has had a root canal: treated teeth grow brittle over time, and molars absorb the heaviest chewing forces in the mouth, which is why a crown so often follows a root canal there. Decay that has destroyed too much structure for a filling to hold against. And a tooth that has broken — a cusp gone, a piece sheared off — where what remains is sound but not whole. At the other end, plenty of teeth that patients fear need crowns turn out to need only a filling; the honest answer either way comes from the examination and the x-ray, not from worry.

What does getting a crown involve? (Two visits, no surprises)

Set the expectation correctly at the start: crowns here are not same-day. Visit one is the working visit. The tooth is numbed and shaped to receive the crown, a precise impression or scan is taken for the laboratory, and you leave wearing a well-made temporary that protects the tooth through the interval — eating and working normally, with a few simple cautions we will give you. Visit two is shorter: the temporary comes off, and your permanent crown is tried in, adjusted against your bite, matched to the shape and shade of its neighbors, and cemented in place. If the temporary loosens between visits, call us rather than reaching for household glue — the prepared tooth beneath it is vulnerable, and re-seating a temporary is quick, ordinary work. At this office, the two visits are easy to schedule around a job: we are open until 7:30 PM Monday through Thursday and on Saturdays.

What are crowns made of?

Crowns are made from materials chosen for the tooth’s job and position — strong ceramics and related options that balance durability where chewing forces are heavy against appearance where the tooth shows when you smile. The right choice for a back molar is not always the right choice for a front tooth, and the dentist explains the recommendation for your tooth, with the cost of the option, before anything is made.

How long do dental crowns last?

A well-made crown typically lasts 10 to 15 years, and many serve considerably longer with good home care and regular checkups. What shortens a crown’s life is rarely the crown itself: it is new decay forming at the edge where crown meets tooth, grinding that overloads it night after night, or simply the years of chewing any restoration absorbs. Regular visits let us watch those edges — a crowned tooth can still decay, and it has no early-warning system of its own once things go wrong underneath.

How much does a crown cost in Inglewood?

A crown has no single set price. The cost depends on the material used, which tooth is treated, how complex the repair is, and your insurance coverage. The process that protects you is the same whatever the number: after an exam, we explain the treatment we recommend and give you a clear cost breakdown in writing before any work begins. Start with the exam and a full set of x-rays — $69 without insurance, a package that cannot be unbundled — and in-house payment plans and financing options can spread a larger cost over time.

Does Medi-Cal or insurance cover crowns?

Often, yes. Medi-Cal and Denti-Cal can cover a crown when a tooth is damaged enough that a filling cannot restore it. Every crown needs the program’s approval before treatment — we send the request with your x-rays — and for full-scope members, an approved crown costs nothing out of pocket. The details have texture worth knowing: ready-made (prefabricated) crowns on back teeth are covered broadly, while a custom-made laboratory crown on a back tooth is covered mainly when that tooth helps hold a partial denture or bridge in place, so a damaged back tooth on its own may not qualify; front teeth follow different rules, and custom crowns there are a covered category when the tooth needs one. We check your coverage and tell you honestly where your tooth stands before anything starts. PPO plans generally cover a portion of crown treatment as well, and we are in network with Delta Dental at all eight offices; we verify your benefits before your visit either way. We do not accept any HMO plans.

Common questions about dental crowns

Do I need a crown after a root canal?

Often, yes — especially on back teeth. A tooth that has had a root canal can become brittle over time, and a crown protects it from cracking under chewing force. Front teeth sometimes do fine with a filling instead. Your dentist looks at the tooth and tells you which it needs, with a written cost estimate before any work begins.

Does getting a crown hurt?

The preparation visit is done with the tooth fully numbed, and most patients find it comparable to having a filling placed. Some sensitivity in the days after is normal. If you are anxious about treatment, tell us when you book: nitrous oxide is available at select offices on request, and a calming medication taken before the visit is an option when someone drives you. We do not offer IV sedation.

What if my tooth hurts or my crown falls off?

Call us. A crown that has come off sometimes can be re-cemented if it is intact and the tooth beneath is healthy — keep the crown safe and bring it with you rather than gluing it yourself. Pain under a crown is information: it can mean decay at the margin, a bite sitting high, or a problem in the tooth itself, and an exam with an x-ray finds which. Patients in pain are a priority here, and we do our best to see emergencies the same day.

How do I start?

With an exam and a full set of x-rays — $69 without insurance. You leave knowing whether your tooth needs a crown, a filling, or something else entirely, and what the recommended treatment costs, in writing. Walk-ins are welcome at our Inglewood office.

Dental crowns in Inglewood and the communities around us

Crown care at PhD Dental in Inglewood draws patients from across this part of Greater Los Angeles. Our closest neighbors — Lennox, Hawthorne, West Athens, Westmont, Del Aire, and Lawndale — are just minutes away, and we also see patients from Alondra Park, Gardena, Hyde Park, View Park-Windsor Hills, and Ladera Heights. From the South Bay and the beach cities, patients travel in from El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Playa Vista, Playa del Rey, Marina del Rey, and Culver City, and from the east we welcome patients from Watts and Carson. With evenings until 7:30 PM Monday through Thursday and Saturday hours, crown visits here rarely need to cost you a workday.

Book a crown consultation in Inglewood

Call our Inglewood office at (323) 529-6856 to start with an exam and a full set of x-rays — $69 without insurance — or book online. Walk-ins are welcome. Find us at 11344 Crenshaw Blvd, Unit A, Inglewood, CA 90303, open Monday–Thursday 9:30 AM–7:30 PM, Friday 9:30 AM–6:30 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM, Sunday closed.