Crowns and Bridges

Crowns and Bridges

Gaps in between your teeth due to damage, congenital or have been extracted due to decay, now you are probably thinking what would be a good replacement for  Crowns and Bridges? We at DentistConsultationHub, help you get the best treatments possible, our dental professionals will determine which one would be best for you. Both Crowns and Bridges are used for restoration or to replace the missing teeth.

What is a Dental Crown?

​A Dental Crown is a cap placed over the tooth which has been the most common and is frequently used in the dental profession, it has better esthetics and is more durable. Crowns also serve to strengthen and protect the damaged tooth or the remaining tooth structure and sometimes used for cosmetic purposes, in the past decades metals gold and silver were used it was strong and lasts longer. Today Dental professionals use porcelain crowns or porcelain metal fused crowns which give a more natural appearance, you can choose the shade of each tooth to match the current tooth color.

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Metal: As mentioned several metals can be used as crowns like gold, silver, palladium, and the like, these types of crowns rarely break or chip; they can withstand pressure and heavy chewing, however, the metal color is the main disadvantage.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal: This crown material can match the color of the tooth, it looks more natural but the metal under the crown shows some shadows, this can be good choices for back teeth.

All-resin: It is the less expensive crown material that can be used; it is made of resin, they easily wear over time and easily break than the porcelain infused crowns.

All-ceramic or all-porcelain: This type of Crown material is always a good choice for the front teeth because it has the best natural color that can match every teeth color. However, it is not as strong as the metal fused crowns.

What are dental bridges?

​A Dental bridge is a restorative procedure that fills the gap of one or more missing teeth, it is made of crowns on both ends and supporting the pontic or false teeth in between and is permanently cemented on the abutment teeth.

Who needs a dental bridge?

​Dental bridge restores aesthetics and function if you have missing teeth or if you have a congenital condition that may cause missing teeth. You need to have healthy teeth on both sides of the missing teeth.

Dental bridges can mimic the function of real teeth, replacing missing teeth, which are usually caused by tooth decay, gum disease, or trauma. Having a Dental bridge will have a positive effect and relieve you from bite problems, chewing difficulties, and aesthetic effects when you smile.

There are four types of Bridges

1. Traditional fixed bridge

The most common bridge used all the time which has two crowns on both ends and pontic connected. The crowns hold the bridge in place; these are usually made of metal, metal fused porcelain or ceramic.

2. Cantilever bridge

This type of Dental Bridge supports the artificial tooth from one side, and this is usually an option for patients with teeth only on the side of the gap. Two crowns are made to create the bridge, the abutments are placed next to each other and the artificial tooth at the end.

3. Maryland Dental Bridge

Maryland bridges, on the other hand, is a prosthetic tooth with thin metal wings on both sides supported by a frame. Each side of the wings is attached by composite light-cured resin making it durable.

How many visits would it take and what steps are Involved in Preparing a Tooth for a Crown or a Dental Bridge?

On the first visit, your Dentist will do the initial consultation, inspect the roots and surrounding bones by dental X-Ray, this is to determine if there is infection or trauma in the pulp, if it does have, a root canal treatment should be performed first and if there are no complications with the tooth the procedure would only take 2 visits to complete the procedure, the first visit will also involve tooth preparation and the second visits involves the installation of the permanent Crown or Dental Bridge.

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A consultation with our team of experts will offer you an unbiased dental opinion about the available choices and helps you make an informed decision. Sometimes, patients require multiple crowns to restore the function or esthetics. Patients with missing teeth may also opt for a crown on either side of the missing tooth to fill the gap with a fixed dental bridge. Dental implant patients also require to have a final crown placed over a dental implant abutment.

To learn more about each type of crown’s available options, advantages, and disadvantages, request a consultation from our team today.