What is a crown?
A crown (or a cap) is an individually made cover designed to restore a tooth damaged by decay or fracture to its natural look and strength. It has the shape and colour of a natural tooth.
Conventional crowns are made of ceramics or porcelain bonded to precious metal or gold. Teeth are reduced in size so there is enough mechanical retention to support a crown.
As each person is an individual, so is each tooth in your mouth. Each crown is hand-crafted by a skilled dental technician to match the specific shape and colour of your natural teeth.
When is it needed?
We recommend a crown when too much of a tooth is lost due to decay or fracture and a filling is not considered strong enough. A crown restores the original shape and function of the tooth. It is strong and is designed to fit in naturally with all your other teeth.
Crowns may be advised to give you the best chance of keeping your teeth for the rest of your life but they need to be maintained just like natural teeth.
What is a bridge?
A bridge fixes a replacement tooth (or teeth) to natural teeth on either side of the gap. Some bridges have crowns at each end, others are fixed to the surface of the teeth next to the gap.
Just like crowns and veneers, bridges can be made from a variety of different materials. High-end porcelain bridges are individually hand-crafted by skilled dental ceramicists and designed to emulate your natural teeth as closely as possible so no one can tell you are missing a tooth.
When is a bridge needed?
Bridges are used to replace missing teeth. Appearance is one consideration, however, there are health reasons too. Teeth on either side of a gap can lean into the gap and alter the way the lower and upper teeth bite together, causing problems with your jaw.
It can become more difficult to eat and food can also get packed into the gap, leading to both decay and gum disease.
What are the alternatives to Crowns and Bridges?
If you don’t want a bridge, one alternative is a partial denture. This is a plate with a number of false teeth on it. It may have clasps to keep the denture in place in the mouth, some of which may show when you smile or open your mouth. Dentures are generally removed at night and must be carefully cleaned.