What are they?

They are restorations of natural teeth that have been damaged, decayed or lost. They can also be used to create a more pleasing smile by correcting the placement of crooked teeth. A crown is constructed to restore an individual damaged tooth back to its original form and function. It may be made of Gold, Gold and porcelain, or porcelain. A bridge is made to replace missing teeth where the teeth adjacent to the gap are crowned and they carry the false tooth. Bridges and crowns are not removable; they are cemented to your own teeth. Removable bridges are Partial dentures or plates and are not fixed in the mouth. 

The best crowns are ones that remove the least tooth structure and blend in with the surrounding teeth. Here’s a crown that provides support while blending harmoniously with its neighbors. Same day cerec in a 90 minute appointment. Aesthetic and Minimal intervention.

Procedure

Crowns are made on the same day using CEREC technology. Bridges are sent to a laboratory and take approimately two weeks to be completed. The teeth to be restored are prepared by the dentist and an impression is taken allowing an exact replica of the mouth to be constructed. On this model the Bridge is made and it then fits the patients mouth exactly (to within 100th of a mm) because it is made by a technician you will have a temporary bridge in the two weeks between appointments. The temporary restorations look like the real thing, they are just made of plastic. 

Why replace missing teeth?

Apart from the unsightly gap in your mouth there are functional reasons why you should replace missing teeth. Adjacent teeth tilt forward and back into the space and opposing teeth over erupt (grow up or down) to fill the gap. All of these changes can lead to Gum Disease, Cleaning problems, Food traps between healthy teeth and jaw problems as a result of the change in occlusion (the way your teeth meet when you bite). 

This lovely Lady was missing a tooth close to the front. Using Same day crown tech and minimal intervention dentistry we could achieve a great aesthetic result in under 2 hrs. Happy Patient, Happy dentist.

Are they the only option?

Modern technology has brought advances in restorative dentistry. Due to their total cover of teeth crowns are more invasive than other procedures. With our philosophy of conservative dentistry we often can improve the way a patient smiles using bonding and bleaching alone. In most cases the prefered treatment for filling a gap in your smile is an implant not a bridge. Whatever the problem we can find the solution.

If you have any questions you can always contact us.