Treatments - Crowns and Bridges

Crowns or caps (as they are often called) are used to restore broken down, decayed teeth after cleaning and filling them. They are also used to cover teeth after a root canal treatment to strengthen them. They can be used to cover discoloured teeth and help in providing better whiter and brighter smile.
Bridges are artificial teeth used to fill up gaps created by extraction of teeth. The artificial teeth (pontic) take the support of adjacent teeth (abutments) which are in good health and hence are known as bridge. They are also known as Fixed Partial Dentures.

           
  Space due to tooth removal                             Bridge in place

The teeth to be crowned are prepared by the dentist and then recorded using a material generally carried in a dental tray. This impression material will take some time to harden in the mouth depending upon the type used. The records are then given to a dental technician to fabricate the crown or bridge, which is then fixed to the prepared teeth using dental cement.

These crowns can be made of gold, white metal, metal-ceramic or all ceramic. Advancement in material sciences has created excellent all ceramic crowns which are strong and durable.

Crowns are also made for aesthetic reasons when teeth are discoloured, malformed or have gaps in between. These crowns when made with ceramic without any metal provide excellent aesthetics.