Dental Crowns
A crown is a tooth shaped 'cap' that is placed over a tooth. Crowns are used to build up a tooth that has been chipped or broken or become too weak to chew. The tooth is gently prepared in order that the remaining tooth provides a strong base onto which the crown is bonded.
When cemented into place a crown fully encases the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.
There are several types of crowns which can be made all of which have advantages and disadvantages. These include:-
- Porcelain Bonded to Metal - This type of crown is used where the crowns are subjected to heavy biting forces and porcelain itself would not be strong enough. However they can tend to show a dark line around the gum line. They also do not reflect the light as well as All Porcelain Crowns.
- Gold Crowns - Compared with other crown types, less tooth structure needs to be removed with gold crowns, and tooth wear to opposing teeth is kept to a minimum. Gold crowns withstand biting and chewing forces well and probably last the longest in terms of wear. The metallic colour is the main drawback. metal crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars.
- All Ceramic Crowns - These have excellent properties. They reflect light in such a way that they look real and alive. They contain no dark metal so there is no chance of a dark line appearing around the neck of the crown. All ceramic crowns are an excellent choice for front teeth.
Dental Bridges
A dental bridge (or "pontic" from the Latin word for bridge) is a restoration used to replace a missing tooth by joining the restoration to adjacent teeth or a dental implant.
The attachment of the bridge is facilitated by the preparation and, as appropriate, the reduction of the adjacent teeth (the "abutments"), the precise combination depending on the location of these teeth and the material from which the bridge is fabricated.
Bridges are made from a variety of materials including gold, porcelain fused to metal or sometimes porcelain alone. The precise choice of materials in any individual case depends on the position of the bridge in the mouth, the consequent biting, chewing and masticating forces that the bridge must withstand and the aesthetic effect desired.
Bridges can greatly improve not just aesthetic and bite issues but also the speech problems associated with missing teeth. They may last 15 years or more so they can represent a good investment for those looking for a long term solution to these problems.
