Crowns & Bridges
Alternative For Dental Implants
A Dental bridge covers the gap between missing teeth. Both crowns and bridges are fixed prosthetic devices. They are cemented onto existing teeth or implants and can only be removed by a dentist.
Is it essential to restore lost teeth ?
Yes, Of course ! To avoid unwanted tooth movement.
Are there options to choose from ?
Definitely, With recent developments in dentistry, a number of alternatives are available to replace missing teeth.
Dental Crowns
- A crown restores the damaged tooth and mimics the size, shape and colour of the original tooth. The tooth to be crowned is prepared (i.e. reduction of the tooth size) to accommodate the new crown and an impression of the prepared tooth is obtained.
- The tooth impression is then sent to a dental laboratory where expert technicians fabricate the crown. Meanwhile, a temporary crown is made and fixed on top of the reduced tooth.
Dental Bridges
A dental bridge restores missing teeth by "bridging" the space between two existing teeth. The crowns are fixed over the teeth adjacent to the missing teeth. When teeth are present on one side of the missing tooth, cantilever bridges can be given. Cantilever bridge consists of two or more side-by-side crowns and only one is fixed over the prepared natural teeth. Unlike partial dentures, bridges are fixed; patients need not remove them.
Types of dental crowns
- All Resin – It is normally used for temporary restoration. It is not considered durable as it is not fracture resistant.
- All Metal - This includes gold alloy and other base metal alloys. Metal crowns are the toughest. They rarely break or chip and can resist daily wear and tear.
The only disadvantage is this : Since they are made of metal, they have the typical metallic look and do not look like the natural teeth. - Ceramic fused to Metal - They possess the strength of the metal along with the aesthetics of porcelain. These are the most commonly used.
- All Ceramic - These crowns are esthetically superior and have the advantage of being 'metal free'.
Do's
- Maintain good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing your teeth every day. You have to bear in mind that crowns are bonded over natural teeth, which are still vulnerable to decay. Healthy teeth and gums serve as a good foundation for your porcelain crowns.
Dont's
- Don't bite your fingernails or pencil tips.
- Don't use your teeth to open bottles or plastic packaging. This will put extreme pressure on your teeth, and can eventually damage your porcelain crown.