Crowns And Bridges

What is a dental crown?

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth. The cap restores the tooth’s shape and size, strength and appearance.

The crowns, when cemented into place, cover the visible portion of a tooth.

When would a dental crown be needed?

A dental crown may be needed to:
★ Protect a weak tooth (for example, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth.
★ Restore a broken tooth or a severely worn-down tooth.
★ Cover and support a tooth with a large filling and not much tooth remaining.
★ Hold a dental bridge in place.
★ Cover misshaped or severely discoloured teeth.
★ Cover a dental implant.
★ Cover a tooth treated with a root canal.

Permanent crowns can be made from all metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, or all ceramic.
★ Metals used in crowns include gold, palladium, nickel or chromium. Metal crowns rarely chip or break, last the longest in terms of wear down, and only require a small amount of tooth to be removed. They can also withstand biting and chewing forces. The metallic colour is the main drawback. Metal crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars.
★ Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns can be matched to the colour of the teeth beside them. They have a more natural tooth colour. However, sometimes the metal under the crown’s porcelain cap shows through as a dark line. Other drawbacks are that the crown’s porcelain portion can chip or break off and there is more wearing down of the teeth opposite them in the mouth. (The top and bottom tooth that come into contact when the mouth is closed.) These crowns can be a good choice for front or back teeth.
★ All-ceramic or all-porcelain dental crowns provide the best natural color match than any other crown type. They are also a good choice for people with metal allergies. However, they are not as strong as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. They also may wear down the teeth opposite them in the mouth a little more than metal or resin crowns. All-ceramic crowns are a good choice for front teeth.

What is a dental bridge?
If you have missing teeth, your dentist can close — or bridge — the gaps in your smile with dental bridges. A dental bridge is a false tooth (called a pontic) that is held in place by the abutment teeth on either side of the gap. Although pontics can be made from a variety of materials such as gold, typically they’re made from porcelain to aesthetically blend in with your natural teeth.

Dental bridge types

There are four main types of dental bridges:
★ traditional
★ cantilever
★ Maryland
★ implant-supported

Traditional dental bridge
A traditional dental bridge consists of a false tooth or teeth being held in place by dental crowns that have been cemented onto each of the abutment teeth. A traditional bridge is the most popular type of dental bridge and can be used when you have natural teeth on both sides of the gap created by your missing tooth.

Cantilever dental bridge
Although similar to a traditional bridge, the pontic in a cantilever dental bridge is held in place by a dental crown that is cemented to only one abutment tooth. For a cantilever bridge, you only need one natural tooth next to the missing tooth gap.

Maryland dental bridge
Similar to a traditional bridge, Maryland dental bridges employ two natural abutment teeth, one on each side of the gap. However, while a traditional bridge uses dental crowns on the abutment teeth, a Maryland bridge uses a framework of either metal or porcelain that is bonded onto the backs of the abutment teeth. Like a traditional bridge, a Maryland bridge can only be used when you have a natural tooth on each side of the gap caused by the missing tooth or teeth.

Implant-supported dental bridge
As the name implies, implant-supported bridges use dental implants as opposed to crowns or frameworks. Typically, one implant is surgically placed for every missing tooth, and these implants hold the bridge in position. If one implant for each missing tooth isn’t possible, the bridge may have a pontic suspended between two implant-supported crowns.

Considered the strongest and most stable system, an implant-supported bridge commonly requires two surgeries:
★ one to embed the implants in the jawbone
★ a second surgery to place the bridge

It can take a number of months for the procedure to be completely finished.

What does a dental bridge cost?

There are many variables that can affect the price including:
★ number of teeth needed to fill the gap
★ materials used, such as composite resin, zirconia, or metal alloy covered in resin
★ complexity/difficulty of the placement
★ additional treatments for other dental issues, such as gum disease
★ geographic location

Why do I need a dental bridge?

When you have a missing tooth or missing teeth, it can affect you in a number of ways. A dental bridge can address those changes, including:
★ restoring your smile
★ restoring the ability to properly chew
★ restoring your speech and pronunciation
★ maintaining the shape of your face
★ re-adjusting your bite to properly distribute the force when you chew
★ preventing your remaining teeth from moving out of the correct position