Crown & Bridges

A crown (also called a "cap") helps keep what's left of a damaged tooth and maintains bone health and nerve function. Crowns are most often used to:

  • Restore broken teeth
  • Support a tooth that is weakened by a large filling, or several smaller ones
  • Rebuild a tooth after a root canal
  • Correct a bite
  • Improve the appearance of a discolored tooth
  • Cover a dental implant
  • Provide support for bridgework

To create a crown, which is basically an artificial tooth, the dentist will take an impression of your bite, shape the tooth that needs a crown, and then take another impression in order to create a well-fitting crown. The crown is created by a dental lab and then cemented onto your tooth.

Materials For Dental Crowns

Crowns can be created with many different types of materials. But the three most common types are:

  • All Ceramic - This is the most popular type of crown. They are the most esthetic types of crowns and can match very well with the natural color of your teeth. They are also very strong and durable. They do not include any metal..
  • PFM (Porcelain Fused To Metal) - This type of crown is made out of metal, similar to a gold crown. But a porcelain material is fused onto the metal so that the metal does not show.
  • Gold - All gold crowns have been used for the longest time. They are very strong and durable, and if properly taken care of, can last for a very long time. This type of crown is the strongest of all crowns, although advances in dentistry have been made to where the all ceramic crowns are nearly just as strong as the gold crowns.

Bridges

Sometimes you need a tooth extracted, leaving a space or gap. Gaps from missing teeth can impact your bite, your appearance, and your speech. The remaining teeth can shift, causing further disruption, pain, and an increased likelihood of gum disease. A dental bridge solves these problems by filling the space with an artificial tooth that is anchored to your natural teeth

You'll typically need crowns on the teeth that will support the bridge. Getting a bridge involves the same process as getting a crown. The process involves taking impression for your temporary bridge, shaping the teeth, taking another impression to send to the dental lab to make the bridge, and then cementing the bridge onto your teeth.