Dental Crowns & Bridges

What happens when you lose a tooth?

Many of us, during our adult lives, will lose a tooth to injury, decay, or gum disease. When that happens, chewing forces can shift front to back and side to side. This can cause teeth to move, shift, even flare out, causing unwanted spaces. It can be a domino effect that can seriously alter the look of your smile, jawline, and face. When teeth are not replaced, wrinkles and lines can also form, causing premature ageing. You’ll also lose bone structure in your jaw, which is why face changes may occur. It is for all these reasons, crown and bridge treatment is one option we recommend when teeth are lost. We can restore and improve your smile using a combination of crowns and bridges to support or even replace lost teeth.

How to care for and maintain your crowns and bridges…

Crowns and bridges cover most of the tooth surface, but it’s the area you cannot see that offers the greatest potential for problems. Where the crown meets your natural tooth, usually at or below the gumline, is called the margin. The margin usually has a small ridge where plaque and bacteria may collect. If even the slightest amount of decay develops under your crown, it can progress unchecked as normal radiographs cannot see through a crown. That’s why an excellent homecare routine is required – both brushing twice a day and flossing once a day.

It’s also important to remove any plaque that may build up between the artificial teeth and the gums to prevent inflammation, bad tastes, and bad breath. This is easily done with floss that has been adapted to cleaning bridges and we’ll show you the best approach for your smile. Irrigation devices can also be helpful.

Quick Crown & Bridge Recap 

help you feel more confident

• replace up to three missing teeth in a row at any location in your mouth (incisors or molars)
• enable you to speak more clearly
• restore your ability to eat the foods you enjoy
• increase the variety of foods you can choose to eat
• help to maintain face shape by supporting your cheeks, eliminating that “sunken” look
• help plump your lips by replacing teeth in the front of your mouth
• distribute chewing forces so that your remaining natural teeth or other restorations don’t have increased work, wear, and tear
• stop remaining teeth from drifting into the space left by the missing tooth
• increase your smile power
• last for decades with proper care.

Crowns and bridges are one of the most popular restorations we place, with literally millions being worn by Europeans. Because of the modern materials available to dentists and denturists these days, they’re beautiful, natural-looking, and undetectable. We’ve placed hundreds of bridges over the years so you can feel comfortable knowing your restoration will fit well, look amazing, and help you obtain optimal nutrition.

Adequate time spent with proper maintenance will lead to years of crown and bridge service.

Fill Gaps Caused By 1 To 3 Missing Teeth

A dental bridge restores the appearance and health of your mouth by covering spaces with a false tooth supported by either dental implants, your natural teeth, or a combination of both. Sometimes referred to as a ‘fixed partial denture’, bridges are bonded or cemented to your teeth and do not need to be removed to sleep or to clean them. Filling tooth gaps is important, not just for appearances, but for your long-term oral health. Missing teeth can make it difficult to speak or chew food and, with a gap, other teeth are free to shift around. 

Long-Lasting Benefits Of Dental Bridges

A missing tooth or teeth can leave us feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable. A dental bridge is a great way get your smile looking and feeling normal again, but it also offers long term benefits for your other teeth and the bone health of your mouth. To sum it up, here are the advantages of a dental bridge:

These are the obvious advantages because they affect us right now. Feel and look normal again. Smile and eat with confidence and get back the smile you know and love. Missing teeth just don’t feel great and sometimes gaps make it difficult or painful to speak or eat. Dental bridges are a long-lasting solution to discomfort caused by missing teeth – more than ten years with proper care.

Tooth health

Your teeth support each other and contribute to your facial structure. Missing teeth can alter your bite and leave space for other teeth to shift around. A dental bridge blocks teeth from shifting around reducing the risk of decay, periodontal disease, jaw pain and TMJ disorder caused by rogue teeth.

Bone health

Healthy, stable teeth encourage healthy jawbones. As our dental health diminishes so does the health of bone and tissues that support our teeth. Stabilizing your dental health with a dental bridge will slow the rate of bone loss from your missing teeth.

What’s the difference between a permanent bridge, a semi-permanent bridge and a partial denture?

There are different types of dental bridges – permanent and semi-permanent. Bridges are sometimes referred to as fixed partial dentures because they are semi-permanent and are bonded to existing teeth or implants. The easiest way to tell the difference between a bridge (which stays put) and a denture (which is removable) is that bridges are just the teeth whereas dentures have those pink gums.

What materials are used for dental bridges?

Bridges can be constructed from gold alloys, non-precious alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. We primarily use porcelain for our dental bridge procedures.

What’s the difference between dental bridges and crowns?

Sometimes, people use the terms dental bridge and crown interchangeably. The reality is they have different functions. Dental crowns are prosthetic caps that are placed over broken, chipped, or worn teeth. They are effective in strengthening the teeth and preventing tooth decay. Dental bridges are designed to bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth.

Can I fill a gap caused by a missing tooth with just one crown?

A crown, all by itself, cannot replace a missing tooth. The crown refers to a dental cap that looks and feels like a tooth but it needs to be supported inside and beneath the gum line by either an existing and prepared tooth, a partial tooth with a post or a dental implant.

A dental crown is a “cap” which is placed over a tooth that has been broken, treated by root canal, stained, damaged by decay, or is misshapen. Individually crafted and

custom-fitted dental crowns blend in with the tone and contour of your natural teeth and can last for more than 15 years. Sometimes crowns are also used to hold a dental bridge or top off a dental implant or they may be applied for certain cosmetic modifications or aesthetic purposes.

What’s The Process Of Getting A Crown?

A dental crown procedure usually requires 3 to 4 visits and is performed by a dentist.

Here is how we go about it:

Examining and preparing the tooth

As with any other kind of dental treatment, everything starts with the dental examination, during which the doctor will check and clean your teeth so they are prepared for an easy fit. If the tooth is broken or severely damaged by decay, we will remove the damaged areas so the dental crown can do its work protecting the tooth from further decay.

Shaping the Crown

Next, with the help of dental putty, we will take an impression of your teeth that will be used to construct full porcelain crowns. You will then be provided with a temporary dental crown that will be fitted onto your teeth until your following appointment. If you are missing a tooth and wish to replace it with a dental implant, we will take an impression of the implant and the surrounding teeth. Our lab will use the impression to manufacture your own custom crown.

Placing the Crown

At your second appointment, we will remove your temporary crown and replace it with a permanent crown. The crown will be secured using durable dental cement or a hidden screw. To complete the process, we will polish your crown and make any necessary adjustments to ensure your comfort and security.

Does root canal need a crown?

Needing a crown after a root canal depends highly on the location of the tooth in the mouth—teeth towards the back of the mouth like molars and premolars are needed more for chewing, and generally require crowns, where incisors or canines which aren’t needed for chewing don’t always require crowns.

Are dental crowns better than fillings?

One difference between a crown vs filling is that a crown is much more durable for teeth with a large biting surface. Repeated pressure from chewing or from habitual clenching can cause fillings on the biting surfaces of molars to chip or come loose. A crown, being

a single unbroken surface from gumline to gumline, is designed to take much more force over a longer period of time.

Do dental crowns look different than normal teeth?

Dental crowns play two important roles in your mouth. First and foremost, they completely restore the function of your tooth which means you can close your teeth and chew without pain or discomfort or without having to compensate by chewing on one side. Secondarily (but also important!) crowns are designed to blend in with your natural teeth. That means they are coloured and contoured to match your aesthetic. In fact, sometimes people forget altogether which tooth is the crown.

What is a dental post?

A post isn’t quite a dental implant (which is surgically implanted in the jaw bone) but it is exactly what it sounds like: a medical-grade post that may be cemented into a prepared root-canal to reinforce the base and core of a dental crown. Dental posts are only used if there isn’t enough healthy tooth left over to reliably hold a crown.

Do dental crowns hurt?

Depending on the state of your tooth, getting a crown can feel a bit like getting a filling. We take our time to patiently numb the area and then use freezing as necessary so the preparation of your tooth isn’t painful. You may feel a little sensitivity or some soreness in the gums around the tooth for a short period of time following your procedure. If you feel anxious about visiting the dentist, let us know! We would love to put your mind at ease and make your experience as comfortable as possible.

How long does a dental crown last?

In most cases, dental crowns can last up to 15 years. However, if they are properly maintained, they can last for 25-30 years.

How do I take care of my dental crown?

A dental crown is maintained just like a natural tooth. Regular brushing and flossing keep your dental crown – and the supporting gum around it – healthy and clean. Regular cleanings and checkups at your dentist are essential to your oral health