What Are Dental Crowns? Dentists refer to the surface of a tooth covered by enamel as a crown. If the surface of your tooth fractures, chips, or breaks due to an accident or dental disease, your dentist will need to place a crown over it to save the tooth and prevent it from sustaining further damage. A dental crown fits over your damaged tooth to restore the appearance, function, and shape. One of the goals of placing a dental crown is for the treated tooth to look and function like the rest of the teeth. The most common materials