Crowns and Bridges

Crowns and bridges are fixed dental prosthetic devices. They’re not like dentures that you can remove at any time. Instead, crowns and bridges can only be installed by a qualified dentist.

What are Crowns?

Think of a crown as a sort of cover for the tooth, and it’s made to look very realistic. It’s often made of ceramic or porcelain, and it can mimic the shape and color of your tooth. Other materials used for crowns include gold and metal alloys, which are ideal for the back teeth, as they are chosen mainly for their strength and. Sometimes materials can also be mixed, such as porcelain with a metal shell so that the cover can be both attractive and strong.

A crown has several functions:

• Protective Like a helmet for the head of a motorcyclist, a crown can protect the tooth inside from further damage. It can restore a fractured tooth, or even protect a week tooth from fracturing. It can cover a tooth that has had a root canal treatment.
• Function restoration The crown doesn’t just have to be strong enough to protect a tooth, but it should also be strong enough to function properly. This means you should be able to chew with it. It can also be installed to cover a dental implant, so that you can have a replacement for your missing tooth.
• Aesthetics Crowns are designed to have the same shape and color of your tooth. This is especially important if the placement of the crown affects the quality of your smile. It’s often used when ordinary teeth whitening treatments fail to whiten a severely stained tooth or if the tooth has had extensive damage.

What are Bridges?

Bridges can replace missing teeth and are highly recommended if you’ve lost several teeth in a row, although a bridge can also be made to replace a single tooth. The bridge covers the gap created by the missing teeth. This bridge is attached at both ends to the adjacent remaining teeth, which are fitted with crowns to secure the bridge replacement teeth in place.

Bridges are helpful for the following reasons:

• They help you chew properly.
• They keep the teeth adjacent to the gap from moving into the empty space.
• They maintain the shape of your face.
• Your smile looks better.
• Bridges can also last a very long time.

Like crowns, bridges can be made from a variety of materials such as gold and porcelain.