DENTAL CROWNS AND BRIDGES

What are dental crowns and tooth bridges?

Crowns are dental restorations that cover the entire tooth. This helps protect the tooth after trauma, extensive decay, failure of an existing filling or following a root canal procedure. Crowns can be made of porcelain or gold. To accommodate a crown, the tooth must be shaved down all around by about 1-2mm. This will allow for the proper thickness of the crown to be strong enough to withstand the daily wear and tear of chewing and normal function. Bridges are basically crowns that serve as anchors on both sides of a missing tooth; the two anchor crowns are connected to a fake tooth called a pontic. Just like crowns, bridges can be made of porcelain or gold. Both crowns and bridges are permanent restorations which are cemented. Both require two appointments: First appointment is to prep the tooth, take a final impression and to choose a shade which will match the adjacent tooth. The impression along with instructions are sent to a lab where the crown or bridge is fabricated. The second appointment is the fitting and cementation of the crown or bridge.