Crowns & Bridges

What are crowns and bridges? Are they necessary?

Losing or chipping a tooth can be a traumatic experience – especially if the empty space it leaves is visible when you smile.

A crown is used to cover a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size, strengthening and improving its appearance. Crowns can be used to seal cracked teeth, to support a large filling when there is not enough of the tooth remaining, to protect weak teeth from fracturing, to restore fractured teeth, or to cover badly shaped or discoloured teeth. A crown could be necessary after at root canal procedure.

A bridge is a way of replacing a missing tooth that uses the teeth on either side of the lost one as anchors to hold the replacement tooth in place. If left unfilled, this space can cause the surrounding teeth to drift out of position and can cause teeth and gums to become more susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease that can cause further tooth loss.

Gold alloy, porcelain, or porcelain fused to metal are three typical choices of material for crowns and bridges.