Crowns & Bridges

Crowns are dental restorations that fully cover, or 'cap' the natural tooth in order to restore the tooth's shape or improve its strength when it has been heavily filled or damaged in an accident. Crowns can also be used to improve the appearance of teeth that are stained, spaced or slightly out of position, where veneers are considered unsuitable. Crowns can be made from metals such as stainless steel or gold, composite resin, dental porcelain or a combination of porcelain and metal alloy.

A bridge is similar in that there are usually two or more crowns and one or more solid pontics (bridge teeth) to fill gaps where one or more teeth are missing. All these parts are joined together and are fitted as a single work-piece. Alternatives to bridges could be removable dentures or implant supported crowns.

What are the benefits of having a crown or bridge?

1. Improved strength of your tooth - the crown will help prevent cracks.
2. Improved appearance of your tooth - large fillings can be hidden under a natural looking ceramic crown.
3. Improved shape (contour) of your tooth - the gum around the tooth will be healthier if the tooth has a natural shape and there are no gaps between teeth that allow food to get caught.
4. Flossing your teeth can be easier if large, rough fillings are eliminated.
5. Worn down or chipped teeth can be built up to their natural shape again.
6. Discoloured teeth can be made to look lighter and more natural again.
7. Eliminating gaps prevents the remaining teeth from moving and causing gum problems.
8. Replacing missing teeth reduces the wear on the remaining teeth by spreading the load more evenly.

We offer a range of aesthetic dental treatments including all ceramic dental crowns and inlays and all ceramic dental bridges, which can be all made to look like natural teeth. Below is an example of all ceramic crowns used to replace a number of older crowns and composite fillings.