Crowns and Bridges
Sometimes a tooth can break due to stresses endured by the tooth over time, or perhaps due to having old, large fillings which wear and tear over time.When a tooth breaks it can be a great cause for concern for anybody but here at Forest Road Dental Practice we are here to help preserve and prolong the life of your natural teeth.When there is a significant fracture to a tooth, your dentist may recommend a crown (sometimes called a ‘cap’) to reinforce and protect the tooth from further fracture and possible loss altogether in future.
The process is relatively straight forward in that the tooth will need to be assessed and the dentist will then discuss the best possible crown option with you before booking you in to proceed with treatment.
Where possible the dentist will always try to use a natural, tooth coloured crown to provide strength to your tooth however, in certain circumstances a metal crown may be your best option and your dentist will of course discuss this with you before any treatment is carried out.
When teeth are lost to extraction or if they naturally didn’t develop it can be troublesome as it can result in an unsatisfactory appearance, difficulty in chewing, or serve as a problem area where food trapping occurs.
A bridge works by effectively replacing the missing tooth with a custom made life-like tooth, which is held in place by the neighbouring teeth.Despite the revolution of implant treatment, bridges still provide an excellent long term solution to replace gaps. Furthermore, they form an excellent interim restoration during implant treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should look no different except if you had a missing tooth in that position. The idea is to make the bridge look as natural as possible in your smile. We achieve this by working very closely with the best dental laboratories.
They are more comfortable than dentures in that they are ‘fixed’ to the neighbouring teeth whereas dentures are removable and require daily cleaning and maintenance.
Following a full consultation, usually there are two appointments – One to prepare the tooth, take moulds and provide a temporary crown/bridge whilst the laboratory creates your crown/bridge and this is followed by a second appointment to fit the crown/bridge. The process for doing either a crown or bridge is essentially the same though.
Old opaque crowns with dark lines above them at the gum level can be safely replaced with newer natural lookingceramiccrowns which are very strong and more pleasing to the eye.
If much of a tooth is missing either due to dental decay or fracture, a filling will not provide the tooth with much needed strength to protect if from further fracture and possible loss in future. More extensive coverage is needed and a crown fulfils this purpose.
