Crowns & Bridges
Crowns
A crown (often referred to as a ‘cap’) is a restoration that completely covers a tooth. As with the inlay/onlay restorations, they can be made of a variety of materials – the most frequently used being porcelain. Crowns are placed when a tooth is very broken down, either through decay or damage, or when there is a limited amount of tooth structure remaining. They can also be used for aesthetic dental treatment.
Bridges
Bridges come in several different varieties, but all achieve the same result – they are a fixed solution for a missing space, rather than a removable one, and can usually be completed in a short time frame. The type of bridge you require will depend on your dentition, and your dentist will advise the best option for you. Here is a broad overview of the bridges we offer, to help with the dental jargon!
A traditional fixed bridge involves creating a crown for the tooth on either side of the missing tooth, with a pontic (false tooth) in between. Traditional bridges are usually made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics. These are quick to make, but the downside is that the teeth become linked which can make future maintenance more difficult. In addition, preparing the teeth for crowns carries the risk of the nerve dying in a tooth. There is a chance that teeth used in fixed bridges can require root canal treatment down the line.
An adhesive bridge is an artificial tooth supported by a metal or porcelain wing on either both, or just one side of the bridge are bonded to the back of the teeth adjacent to the gap. These have the advantage of needing much less preparation than a traditional bridge, but the disadvantage of sometimes debonding and needing to be recemented. Metal wings can also shine through the teeth creating a slightly greyish appearance.
No more Impressions!
In keeping with our promise to provide our patients with the newest, most innovative dental technology, we are proud to introduce our new iTero scanner. Our scanner enables us to digitally create a model of your mouth, capturing 6000 frames per second to give us a high quality image. This image can be used to plan treatment, to monitor the shape and size of your teeth, or even to simulate an orthodontic result post-Invisalign treatment.
Book in for your free scan today, and see how we can help you get a brighter, more confident smile!
