Crowns
A crown is a permanent covering that fits over an original tooth that is either decayed, damaged or cracked. Crowns are made of a variety of different materials such as porcelain, gold, acrylic resin or a mix of these materials.
The treatment plan for a patient receiving a crown involves:
- Numbing the tooth to remove the decay in or around it.
- Re-sculpturing the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown.
- Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown (usually takes two weeks).
- Making a temporary crown out of acrylic resin and fitting it onto the tooth during the interim period when the permanent custom-made crown is being created.
- Applying the permanent crown (when received from the lab 2 weeks later) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the permanent one onto the tooth.
- After ensuring that the crown has the proper look and fit, the dentist cements it into place.
This process typically involves 2 visits, about 2 weeks apart.
Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and crowns. This helps in the prevention of gum disease. Given proper care, your crowns can last a lifetime.
Bridges
When teeth are missing, the remaining ones can change position, drifting into the surrounding space. It often is difficult to clean crooked teeth. This may lead to tooth decay and periodontal disease. Missing teeth will additionally offset your bite, causing stress on certain teeth, making those teeth susceptible to fractures and other dental problems. A bridge is a dental prosthetic that fills a space that a tooth previously occupied. It consists of one or more filler teeth that are attached to two crowns which fit over the existing teeth and hold the bridge in place.