Crowns and Bridges
Crowns sometimes are inevitable but should not be considered as the first option. After root canal treatment teeth become fragile and the crown provides the best protection to guarantee longevity.
Fixed Bridges used to be the most popular option to fill the gaps after removing teeth. Since Implants are more readily available and even cheaper than the bridge it is hard to justify grinding 2 adjacent teeth to fill a missing tooth. the implant is replacing the bridge option in most scenarios but all possible options for your scenario will be discussed to help you make the right choice.
Crowns
Crowns provide a supportive and durable restoration for teeth which are not strong enough to undergo more invasive treatments. Some instances in which this might happen include:
- When the tooth has already undergone root canal therapy
- If a tooth has had multiple fillings and can no longer maintain its structural integrity
- When it is required on top of a dental implant
When undergoing this treatment, our patients can expect to attend a 30 – 45-minute appointment where Dr Matin will make all of the necessary crown preparations. A local and trusted lab then creates the crown using a porcelain material to ensure they blend perfectly with the patient’s teeth.
It takes between14-21 days for the crown to be made and ready for the patient’s next appointment, which is the fitting stage.
By entrusting the creation of our crowns to a local lab that specialises in this field, as opposed to one overseas, we can guarantee that our crowns are of an extremely high quality. With proper oral hygiene and preventive dental care, patients can expect their crowns to last for a decade.
Bridges
A dental bridge is made up of two crowns bonded to an artificial tooth in the middle. These three or four ‘teeth’ form the ‘bridge’ that is bonded into place to solve the missing tooth dilemma. Like crowns, bridges are also made using materials that match the colour of the patient’s teeth, making them quite discreet.
Although more modern advancements in dentistry, such as implants, have replaced the need for bridges in some cases, we still have plenty of experience and expertise within this field.
Bridges can be used as effective treatment in the following cases:
- If the adjacent teeth have large fillings and need crowns or caps in the future
- When the affected area has gum or bone recession
- They can also be placed on top of dental implants to replace up to 4 or 5 teeth at one time
Additionally, a cantilever bridge is used in situations where the tooth next to a gap needs a crown and the gap is small enough to be added to that crown.
We are also able to replace existing bridges. The original preparation procedure is simply reversed to remove the old or damaged bridge, before the standard creation and fitting process takes place.