Crowns & Bridges
Crowns:
Crowns and bridges are used to restore a tooth/teeth which are fractured, decayed or lost. crowns and bridges are devices which are fixed on to the tooth or implants by using a cement and can be removed only by a dentist.
The procedure involves reduction of the involved tooth/teeth. If a large portion of the tooth structure is missing because of trauma or caries. then a separate restoration is placed to establish an ideal tooth preparation. Then an impression is taken of the prepared area and a temporary crown/bridge is placed.
Why Is a Dental Crown Needed?
A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:
- To protect a root canal treated tooth to prevent it from breaking
- To restore a malformed, discoloured or fractured tooth
- To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't enough tooth structure left
- To cover a dental implant
Types of Crowns
Temporary Crown
A Temporary Crown is made up of acrylic, can be used as a temporary restoration until a permanent crown is delivered
Permanent Crowns Permanent Crowns includes all metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, and all ceramic
Types of Permanent Crowns
Metal used is a base metal alloy-nickel or chromium. This rarely chip or break and lasts longer. The only drawback is the metallic colour and so is used to restore back teeth.
Metal-ceramic dental crowns can be color matched to your adjacent teeth (unlike the metallic crowns). . These crowns can be a good choice for front or back teeth
All-ceramic dental crowns provide the best natural color match than any other crown type. All-ceramic crowns are a good choice for front teeth.
Bridges:
A bridge, also known as a fixed partial denture, is a dental restoration used to replace a missing tooth by joining permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants. it is not like removable devices such as dentures that need to be removed and cleaned daily by the patient. A bridge is fabricated by reducing the teeth on either side of the missing tooth.
The missing tooth is known as pontic and the teeth on either side of the missing tooth is known as abutment.