Dental Crowns & Bridges
Dental Crowns
Crowns are dental restorations otherwise known as "caps" which are coverings that fit over teeth. Crowns may be necessary because of broken down old fillings, fractured, chipped or sensitive teeth. Crowns are also used to improve the appearance of natural teeth that are malformed, mal-positioned or discolored. Crowns can be made from different materials which include the full porcelain crown, the porcelain fused-to-metal crown and the all-metal crown. You and your dentist will decide which type is appropriate, depending upon the strength requirements and aesthetic concerns of the tooth involved.
Some of the indications for a crown are:
- A previously filled tooth where there now exists more filling than tooth.
- The existing tooth structure becomes weakened and can no longer support the filling.
- Extensive damage by decay.
- Discolorations and compromised esthetics.
- Fractures Root canal - After root canal, teeth tend to become brittle and are more apt to fracture. These teeth need to be protected by a crown.
- Bridges - When missing teeth are replaced with a bridge, the adjacent teeth require crowns in order to support the replacement teeth.
Dental Bridges
A bridge is a fixed dental restoration (a fixed dental prosthesis) used to replace a missing tooth (or several teeth) by joining an artificial tooth permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants. Types of bridges may vary, depending upon how they are fabricated and the way they anchor to the adjacent teeth. Conventionally, bridges are made using the indirect method of restoration. However, bridges can be fabricated directly in the mouth using such materials as composite resin.
When a single tooth requires a crown, the prosthetic crown will in most instances rest upon whatever tooth structure was originally supporting the crown of the natural tooth. However, when restoring an edentulous (without teeth) area with a bridge, the bridge is almost always restoring more teeth than there are root structures to support.
What Are the Benefits of Dental Bridges?
- Restore your smile
- Restore your ability to properly chew and speak
- Maintain the shape of your face
- Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
- Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position