Should a Lot of Pain Be Expected During the Dental Crown Procedure?

You should not experience any pain when having a dental crown placed.  You will be given local anesthetic to numb the tooth before your dentist begins working on your tooth.  He/she will check that you have profound anesthesia before starting the procedure.  If you are apprehensive about the procedure you could be given a pill to take before (oral sedation) that would relax you.  In fact, most patients do not remember much of the procedure at all.  

You will be anesthetized during crown preparation.
Once you are numb everything should go smooth-painfree.

The tooth preparation for a crown shouldn't hurt a bit.  If the tooth still has a nerve, your dentist will numb the tooth with local anesthetic and you won't feel any pain.  As far as jaw pain, crown procedures have many steps and you will have lots of opportunity to rest your jaw in between the steps.  Let your dentist know about your concern ahead of time.  He/she will know to give you lots of chance to rest.  Good communication is very important, not only is it good if your dentist tells you what to expect, but it is equally important for you to let your dentist how you are doing and what your concerns are.