Crowns and Bridges

CROWN

If a tooth has been badly broken down such that the cavity is too large for a filling, we generally place a crown (or “cap” in lay terms). A crown fits over the entire biting surface and walls of a tooth. These days, most crowns used to restore back teeth are made completely of zirconia (a super strong tooth coloured material), or porcelain fused to a zirconia substructure. A major advantage of zirconia is the ability to prepare teeth conservatively. This means we don’t have to remove as much tooth to fit the crown as is the case with a more traditional crown.
For front teeth, our preferred material is currently eMax. This is a relatively strong material (not as strong as zirconia) but with better aesthetics.

BRIDGE

Teeth either side of the gap are prepared to receive a crown. The bridge structure is then made in a laboratory generally in one piece, incorporating the missing tooth/teeth and then cemented to the teeth prepared for the crowns. There are many variations of bridges.

•