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Procedures - Crowns and Bridges
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Crowns
A crown ("cap") is a tooth-like covering placed over a carefully prepared
preexisting tooth. Crowns can be fabricated out of porcelain fused to metal,
all porcelain, or gold. Your doctor will decide which material best suits
your needs based on esthetics, function, and patient preference. Crowns
serve many functions, such as to strengthen, restore or improve the appearance
of your natural tooth. For example, a crown can support the tooth when there
is no longer sufficient tooth structure left to place a filling. Crowns may
also be used to protect the structure of a tooth that is fractured or broken,
and can be attached to bridges or dentures (Fig. A).
Crown Placement Procedure
The tooth is prepared by removing a thin layer of tooth structure around the
entire tooth. This preparation is done with a slight taper to help secure
the crown (Fig. B). Your dentist will then take an impression and send it to our lab
so they can fabricate a porcelain fused to metal crown. We will finish this
initial appointment by placing a temporary crown on your tooth. You will be
then be scheduled to return in ten days to two weeks to seat the permanent crown.
The crown is cemented into place using special dental adhesives (Fig. C). The objective
of this procedure is for final crown to look as natural as possible and feel
like an ordinary tooth (Fig. D).
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Bridges
A bridge is a custom device anchored to neighboring teeth that replaces one
or more missing teeth. When a lost tooth is replaced with bridgework, the
teeth on either side of the missing one most commonly are prepared as crowns
to serve as abutments to hold the prosthetic (replacement) tooth in place.
Crowns and bridges are most often made from superior materials such as
semiprecious or precious metals, porcelain, or a fused combination of the
two. Aesthetics, function, and tissue compatibility are considered when
selecting the material most suitable for you.
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