Crowns & Bridges
Crowns are often used to repair teeth that have undergone root canal treatment or have broken down from decay or a fracture too extensive to be restored by a filling only. Crowns and bridgework are a process with which many people are familiar. For many years, these restorations were made entirely from metal, resulting in a “gold” or “silver” tooth. Those metals are still used in crown and bridgework, but today there is the possibility for the addition of aesthetic porcelain, which looks and feels like your natural teeth. For teeth which require less preparation Composite crowns provide an alternative aesthetic option. Porcelain & Composite crowns completely cover the exposed tooth structure all the way down to the gum line to give a natural appearance.
A porcelain crown is created in the laboratory, specially designed and crafted to blend with your natural teeth. The shade of porcelain is carefully selected to match your surrounding teeth, making the crown appear natural and undetectable. Having a customized crown made takes two or three appointments. The tooth is carefully prepared and impressions are taken to create a perfect fit.
Bridge work. If you are missing one tooth or multiple teeth in an area, bridgework may be an option. This usually consists of one or more crowns (called pontics) that replace missing teeth and are kept in place by being anchored to the adjacent teeth (called abutments) on either end of the span to essentially ‘Bridge the Gap’.
Dentures are removable false teeth made of acrylic (plastic) or chrome (metal) which replace missing teeth. Gaps left by missing teeth can cause problems with eating and speech therefore dentures can help to prevent these problems.
Dentures can replace one or a few missing teeth within the upper or lower jaw (partial dentures) or can replace the whole arch of teeth in the upper or lower jaw (full dentures). The false teeth are carefully selected to match the shade of existing teeth for partial dentures or chosen to your preference to give a natural looking smile for full dentures.
