What is a crown and bridge?

A crown is a cap that protects the existing tooth from structural damage.

A bridge is a three or more joined crowns which serves as a means of replacing missing teeth by taking support from the adjacent teeth on either side. Teeth adjacent to the missing one is called an abutment.

Benefits:

• Protect a weakened tooth from decay or breakage.
• Replace your missing teeth.
• Improves your speech and chewing capacity
• Corrects your irregularly shaped teeth
• Improves self-esteem by giving you a confident celebrity smile.

When do I need crowns and bridges?·

• Large fillings
• Fractured / broken teeth
• Cosmetic problem
• Missing teeth

First visit:

Prepare your teeth:

To prepare your tooth for a crown, your dentist will need to remove some of your natural enamel. This makes space for your new crown and ensures that it will stay in place once bonded.

Impression:  

Impressions taken with a putty-like material or digital impressions taken with a 3D scanner. Your dentist will send these impressions to a dental lab. There, a technician will use them to create your custom dental crown.

Second visit

During the second office visit, your dentist will check the shape, colour and fit of your new crown. Once it is confirmed as an accurate fit they will bond the new crown to your tooth using a strong dental cement. 

TYPES OF DENTAL CROWNS

Metal ceramic: metal fused with ceramic is a common choice of crown over the years. However, its strength is user dependent unlike zirconia crowns.

Zirconia & Emax: Zirconia and Emax crowns offer several benefits over traditional crowns, including accuracy, strength, durability, and aesthetics. less prone to chipping or breaking than traditional ceramic crowns. They have a natural-looking appearance, making them a popular choice for patients who want a crown that looks and feels like a natural tooth.

Gold crowns are a type of dental crown that has been used for many years due to their strength, durability, and resistance to wear and corrosion. They are made from a special type of alloy that contains gold, as well as other metals such as copper, silver, or platinum. Gold crowns are often used for back teeth where the crown will not be visible.

Inlays and onlays are types of dental restorations that are used to repair teeth that have been damaged by decay or injury. Inlays are used to repair damage to the chewing surface of the tooth, while onlays are used to repair damage to the chewing surface and one or more cusps. Inlays and onlays are made from either porcelain or composite resin materials and are custom-made to fit the specific shape and size of the damaged tooth.