A dental crown or a dental cap is a material that is made to cover your tooth. It is meant to prevent your tooth from fracture or may be the only option to save your tooth if your tooth is found to have extensive decay or damage. It involves making your natural tooth a little smaller so that a crown can be placed and your bite will still feel normal. A tooth that has been recommended for a crown is very likely not a good candidate for a filling. Doing a filling instead of a crown may further compromise the tooth, causing it to fracture or could result in your filling falling out in a very short amount of time.