Crowns
People today are far more aware of issues of oral health, function and appearance of their teeth. By our early 40′s, teeth are commonly showing signs of age wear, and often have been extensively filled. Fillings and fractures substantially weaken natural tooth structure. There are short-term restorative solutions but these do not enhance the strength of the tooth – in fact, compromise it. For a long-term, strong and aesthetically pleasing solution, crowning is the answer.
To make a crown, all the old filling material is removed from the tooth. The remaining tooth is shaped in a specific way right down to the gumline. A mould is then taken of this tooth preparation. Using this mould, a new tooth that is beautifully matched to your other natural teeth, is fabricated in the dental laboratory. To allow time for a highly skilled technician to create this dental work-of-art, a temporary crown is placed in the mouth until you return for the final visit to fix the permanent crown.
Commonly, by the time a tooth needs crowning, other teeth may also be deteriorating and wearing, contributing to generalized breakdown. Gimmicky computer-carved fillings may help to restore the single tooth, but not the surrounding deterioration and wear. The prosthodontist’s specialist training is in stable, long-term, dental solutions. This is why he favours the strength and precision of impression made crowns, and the laboratory’s ability to finely contour, colour-match and characterize the new crown to your other teeth.
Bridges
If a tooth is missing, but you still have a tooth either side of its space, crowns can be made for its adjacent teeth with an artificial bridging tooth attached to fill the gap. This is called a bridge. The bridge is permanently cemented into place, has no framework in the roof of the mouth, is long-term and exceptionally strong, and creates optimal aesthetics. The process for making a bridge is similar to that for a crown.
