Pender County · Since 1987
Dental Crowns in Hampstead, NC
A crown covers a tooth that has lost too much structure to hold a filling. It is what keeps a cracked or heavily restored tooth in your mouth.
- Three doctors, one location
- Sedation available
- Most major plans accepted
- Written estimates before treatment
A closer look at crowns
Teeth that have been filled and refilled over decades eventually run out of enamel to grip. A crown wraps the whole tooth and puts the chewing forces back through the root instead of through a fracture line.
Why Hampstead patients come to us for this
Hampstead families moved here for the Topsail schools and drive into Wilmington for almost everything else.
Parents put their own treatment off for years while keeping every appointment for their children. We book adult treatment alongside the kids so it stops being a separate trip.
Olde Point and Castle Bay send us a steady stream of patients, and the Hampstead Bypass will shorten that drive when the first segment opens.
We block consecutive appointments for Hampstead families so a single trip down US-17 covers the whole household.
Families moved to Hampstead for the Topsail schools, and the trade-off is a US-17 commute that everybody here has an opinion about.
We see patients from across Hampstead and the surrounding area, including the Topsail schools, Olde Point, Castle Bay Country Club and the 28443 ZIP code.
Pender County is the second fastest-growing county in the state and it has the highest share of under-18s in the region at over 22 percent. Family scheduling and preventive care carry more weight here than anywhere else we serve.
We will lay out what needs doing now against what can wait a year, which matters when a family is working against one annual maximum.
We book families together so one trip down US-17 covers everybody, and the Hampstead Bypass will only make that drive shorter.
You may be a candidate if
- A cracked tooth, or one that hurts on release when you bite
- A large old filling that keeps breaking away at the edges
- A tooth that has had a root canal
- A worn-down back tooth that no longer meets its opposite
- A front tooth that needs both strength and appearance
From first visit to finished result
- Exam and x-rayWe confirm the tooth is restorable and the nerve is healthy.
- PreparationThe tooth is shaped, we take a digital scan, and a temporary crown goes on.
- Lab fabricationThe permanent crown is built to your bite and shade.
- Fit and cementWe check contacts and bite, adjust, then cement it.
Afterwards
Sensitivity to cold for a week or two is normal. Floss it, do not skip it, because the margin at the gum is where a crowned tooth fails. Come to your cleanings and we will watch that margin for you.
Follow-up checks are quick, and we will put them alongside another family member's appointment where we can.
What it costs
Most dental plans cover crowns at a percentage after the deductible, often around half. Cost varies with the material and whether the tooth needs a build-up first. We run the estimate through your benefits before scheduling so the number you hear is the number you pay.
If more than one family member needs treatment, we look at the annual maximums together and sequence the work so the plan pays as much of it as possible.
In their own words
Hear from Dr. Carter Lee
Dr. Lee on fixing only what needs fixing, and what it is like to hand a patient the mirror after a smile transformation.
Questions we get asked
My temporary crown came off. Is that an emergency?
Call us and we will get you in. Keep the temporary if you can, avoid chewing on that side, and do not leave the prepared tooth uncovered for long.
Crown or extraction and implant?
If there is enough healthy tooth left to hold a crown, saving it is almost always the better call. When the tooth is split below the gum, it is not.
How far is your office from Hampstead?
About 21 miles, or roughly 35 minutes via US-17 South (Market Street) to MLK Jr. Parkway. We are at 1301 Physicians Dr in Wilmington, with parking at the door.
Do you see patients from Hampstead?
Regularly. Hampstead is part of our core service area in Pender County, and we book families together so one trip down US-17 covers everybody, and the Hampstead Bypass will only make that drive shorter.
What are your hours?
Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 8:00am to 12:00pm. Outside those hours, leave a message or use the appointment request form and we will come back to you with the first available time.
Dental Crowns · Hampstead, NC
Honest dentistry, since 1987.
We will tell you what needs doing now, what can wait, and what we would leave alone.
- Over 50,000 patients treated since 1987
- Comprehensive new patient exam including oral cancer screening
- Three doctors and a long-tenured team
- Most major dental plans accepted
Been told you need a lot of work somewhere else? Second opinions are welcome and we give them straight.
Request an appointment
We reply the next business day.
Please do not include Protected Health Information. For anything urgent, call (910) 762-0958.
