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Dental Crowns and Bridges: Quality Restorations for a Beautiful Smile


Crowns

A crown is an artificial restoration that fits over the remaining part of a prepared tooth, making it strong and giving it the shape of a natural tooth. A crown is sometimes known as a ‘cap’. Crowns are an ideal restoration for teeth that have been quite badly broken, or have been heavily restored with large fillings due to decay. There are a few other reasons in which a crown could be placed such as; discolouration of white fillings and you want to improve the appearance by having a crown placed as this wouldn’t need to be replaced as frequently as white fillings that can discolour over time. If a tooth has been root canal treated in the past a crown is usually recommended by your dentist as this helps to protect the tooth in the future. Crowns can be quite destructive as they do require removal of tooth tissue therefore onlays may be recommended as a far more minimally invasive treatment option.

 

Bridges

It is important if you have lost a tooth that you do not leave the space vacant, as leaving a gap can put strain on the teeth either side, causing them to lean into the gap, this can result in food trapping and further decay. Bridges are used to replace missing teeth, a fixed bridge is basically like putting a crown on an adjacent tooth which supports a fake tooth filling in the gap.

There are two types of bridges, a conventional type of bridge which involves crowning a tooth or a minimally invasive bridge which involves placing a wing on an adjacent tooth. Minimally invasive bridges are far less destructive than conventional bridges and are more commonly used now that we have stronger bonding agents to stick them on with. It has the key benefit of not having to destroy any healthy tooth tissue and providing a more gentler treatment choice.

 

Will the crown or bridge match the rest of your teeth?

Yes, crowns and bridges can be made from various materials, reasons for the different materials can be due to factors such as cosmetics and function, your dentist will go through those options with you and let you know what would be best for you.

 

What will the procedure involve?

For minimally invasive bridges it really is very straightforward, the procedure can be done without an injection and it involves the dentist expertly placing a very fine groove into the adjacent tooth and taking an impression to send off to a specialist laboratory for it to be made. And that's it!

For conventional bridges it is slightly more complex a procedure. The first thing to do is anesthetise the area so that no discomfort will be felt throughout the treatment. The dentist will prepare the tooth/teeth to the ideal shape for the crown/bridge, this will involve removing about 1mm to 1.5mm of the tooth structure all the way around, and leaving behind a strong inner core. The amount of tooth removed will be the same thickness of the new crown/bridge.

Once the tooth/teeth have been prepared , an impression of the tooth/teeth will be taken, the impressions will be sent to a dental technician who will make the crown/bridge, if a porcelain crown/bridge is being made a shade will be taken to ensure your new crown/bridge fits in perfectly. A temporary restoration will then be placed for the period of time the new crown/bridge is being made.

Once the work has been returned, and the dentist is happy with the fit and appearance and more importantly you are, the new crown/bridge will be fixed into place using a special adhesive. The cement forms a seal to hold the crown/bridge in place. The dentist will check your bite before you leave to ensure that the crown/bridge isn’t too high and also check that you can clean thoroughly in between the new crown and the adjacent tooth.


Call now on
01992 582 945

Please call
now on 
01992 582 945


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