Crowns & bridges

Dental crowns

Strengthens remaining tooth structure.
Natural-looking restoration.
Functions like a real tooth, so you can bite and chew as usual.

A crown is a type of dental restoration used to fix teeth that have been broken, weakened by decay or contain a very large filling. Here is how it works:

An impression is taken of the tooth that needs restoring.
A crown is made in the dental laboratory to fit the tooth precisely and match the neighbouring teeth.
The tooth is then prepared and the crown fitted securely on top.

A crown could be a good solution for you if you have some discoloured fillings and would like to improve their appearance. Crowns can be used to replace these to give you a more appealing smile. Additionally, if you have had root canal treatment you will need a crown to protect or cap the restored tooth, allowing you to eat and bite down on it as if it was a real tooth. Crowns are also used to anchor a bridge or denture firmly in place in the mouth.

Dental bridges

When a tooth is seriously damaged and unsuitable for a direct placement filling then coverage with a crown or onlay is generally required. When planned and carried out correctly using a skilled technician it is possible to restore teeth, previously close to the point of being lost, to a condition almost as strong as a virgin tooth.

All crowns are not the same, there are currently over 20 different materials that dentists can choose from to make a crown. Each with different properties and cost.

The selection of the correct material depends on a number of variables:

Tooth position and size.
Stability of the bite.
Desired final appearance.
Strength required for final restoration.
Your criteria.

It is the skill and experience of the specialist prosthodontist which will allow selection of the correct materials to fabricate a predictable long term crown that meets your requirements.

When teeth are missing and those either side of the space are healthy, with well supported foundations, then replacement with fixed bridgework is possible, the procedures are effectively an extension of those used for single crowns. In situations when the potential supporting teeth have no fillings then it can be possible to fabricate bonded bridgework which is glued onto the supporting teeth with little, or no, preparation being required.

The critical factors to successful long-term bridgework, as with all restorative dentistry, are:

Accurate diagnosis and planning prior to treatment being carried out.
Attention to detail by both the prosthodontist and technologist, during the operative and manufacturing procedures.
Instigation of an effective home care regime.

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