Crowns
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth – covering the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and/or to improve its appearance.
The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.
A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:
To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth left
To cover misshaped or severely discolored teeth
To restore a dental implant.
Bridges
Bridges are a fixed or non-removable prosthesis constructed to replace one or more missing teeth. The teeth on either side of the existing space anchor the bridge. We are now able to construct beautiful full porcelain bridges and porcelain over metal bridges to produce beautiful aesthetic results.
Dental bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth.
A bridge is made up of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap – these two anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth – and a false tooth/teeth in between, called the pontic. Bridges can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials. Dental bridges can be supported by natural teeth or implants.