Crown and Bridges
Crown
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A dental crown can be made from porcelain or porcelain fused to metal. It is a tooth-shaped “cap” that covers a tooth to restore its size, shape, strength and to improve its appearance. It may be necessary to cover a dental implant, to restore a broken or severely worn down tooth, to protect a decay-weakened or cracked tooth, to improve the aesthetic appearance of a tooth, to hold a dental bridge in place or for other reasons.To place a crown, your dentist may deem it necessary to trim the tooth to make space for the crown. Molds are taken as each crown is custom made in an external dental laboratory. The crown is then cemented onto the reshaped original tooth. |
Bridges
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A dental bridge is made up of two dental crowns that are placed onto teeth adjacent to missing teeth. The artificial teeth that is connecting the two dental crowns is known as a bridge or fixed partial denture. Dental implants may also be used to anchor the dental bridge. To learn more about dental implants, click here.Dental bridges are expected to last 10 years with proper maintenance and a good oral hygiene routine.
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The application of a dental bridge may require several visits as it is a multi-stage process. First, the teeth used as a support for the bridge must be reshaped for the placement of the crown. An impression is taken in order to create the custom-made bridge in an external dental laboratory. This may mean a 1 or 2 week waiting period in between the initial impression taking and the follow-up visit to mount the bridge