Crowns & Bridges

Crowns

Crowns can be made from porcelain, porcelain fused to metal or gold. To maintain a natural look and feel a porcelain finished crown is best, as it can be matched to the shade of your other teeth. This will allow it to blend in and appear just like one of your natural teeth.

The process of installing a crown takes 2-3 visits to the dentist. On the first visit the tooth will be shaped so that the crown can be placed over it. You will be given a local anesthetic before this part of the procedure so that you do not experience any discomfort. Once the tooth has been prepared to accept a crown, a mold will be taken of that tooth and the surrounding teeth. This mold will be sent to a dental lab so that your new crown can be made to accurately fit the tooth it was prepared for and look the same relative to the surrounding teeth. Your dentist will also fit you with a temporary crown until your permanent crown is ready.

Bridges

Dental bridges are a great way to replace missing teeth. Your existing teeth are used to literally create a bridge to cross the area where your tooth is missing. A bridge has a gold alloy or tooth colored zirconia substructure to ensure that they are strong and durable. Tooth colored porcelain is then fused to the substructure to give the bridge a life-like appearance.