CROWNS AND BRIDGES
About Dental Crowns (Dental Caps)
When a tooth is broken down, heavily decayed or suffered major trauma the tooth can be rebuilt and reinforced by having dental crowns or caps. So you might ask why can’t I just have a filling? Without protection from a crown, which reinforces the tooth, it may end up breaking further, or worse still fracture beyond saving and thus require extraction.
Dental crowns are sometimes used for cosmetic dental reasons to reshape and brighten discoloured, broken teeth and/or chipped teeth. Crowns are made up of highly durable material that covers the entire tooth, and often the appearance can make the tooth look very natural. Depending on the material that will be used, dental crowns are classified as follows:
All Porcelain Crown – made up of pure ceramic material. No metal can be seen within; hence, it eliminates the shadowing on the gum line, which is usually seen on conventional crowns that are fused to metal.
Porcelain Fused to Metal Crown – one of the most widely used kind of dental crowns due to its strength and affordable cost. However, grayish lines on the gums can still be observed due to receding gums.
All Metal Crown – composition is purely made up of metal, normally gold or Cobolt-chromium. Although it is affordable and strong, its color can be seen in the mouth.
Temporary/Plastic Crowns – commonly used while waiting for the permanent crown to be fitted and eventually cemented. It is used to prevent the patient from having tooth sensitivity and bacterial accumulation. It also can be used to assess changes in aesthetics and bites.
How long is the procedure for dental crowns?
Once the dentist has assessed your teeth, we can give you options on which crown is best suitable for your tooth. The dentist will then prepare your tooth by shaping the tooth. An impression on the prepared tooth is made from which the crown will eventually be made in our in-house dental laboratory. While waiting for the permanent tooth to be finished, a temporary crown may be put in your mouth to reduce sensitivity. For some patients will have to make subsequent visits to have the crown checked and then finally cemented to the tooth permanently.
How long do dental crowns last?
Typically under normal wear and tear, dental crowns can last many years even up to ten years or more. It is still important to have it checked by us at your regular visits to ensure that the crown is not damaged from poor hygiene or stress. Having a natural looking crown can make your smile even more beautiful!
About Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are constructed to replace a lost tooth, to fill in the gaps between teeth to prevent the remaining teeth from shifting and which may misalign the bite. Having a dental bridge won’t just help improve your appearance, but can also help correct bite issues, give support to the surrounding teeth and improve your speech.
There are three types of dental bridges:
1. Traditional Fixed Bridges
A false tooth known as pontic is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by the missing tooth. Two crowns are attached on each side of the tooth and hold the bridge in place. Unlike dentures, fixed bridge cannot be taken out of your mouth because it is already fixed to the tooth. The disadvantage with this procedure is that it involves trimming the healthy adjacent tooth to fit the crowns.
2. Cantilever Bridges
Cantilever bridges are commonly used on the front teeth, where there is less stress. It involves anchoring the false tooth on one side over one or more natural or adjacent tooth.
3. Resin Bonded Bridges
This type of bridge is less expensive and primarily used on the front teeth. It uses metal or ceramic wings that are bonded to the adjacent teeth hidden from view, thus, reduces the amount of preparation on the adjacent tooth and is a very conservative option.
It is important that you replace your missing teeth for it can adversely affect your dental health with teeth movement, jaw problems and other issues with the teeth and mastication. To discuss your suitability for dental crowns or bridges, of for more information on any of our cosmetic or restorative dental treatments, contact us.