Dental Crowns and Bridges
A crown is a type of dental restoration which completely caps or encircles a tooth or dental implant and is typically bonded to the tooth using dental cement. It is indicated when a filling makes up greater than 50% of the tooth structure or when more filling than tooth is present. Crowns can be made from many materials including zirconia, porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, or gold. They are often used to improve the strength or appearance of an individual tooth that is severely decayed, fractured, or root canal treated. Sometimes crowns are used for esthetic reconstruction. In these cases, we are improving the overall esthetics of the patient by whitening, straightening and re-contouring the teeth. This treatment involves in-depth planning to make sure that color, shape, size, and esthetics are ideal while maintaining great function and occlusion. The doctors here at Molina Dentistry will work closely with you and the lab technicians to provide a beautiful, functional, healthy result.
The most common method of crowning a tooth involves making an impression of a prepared tooth and sending it to the dental laboratory for fabrication of the crown. The crown is then placed at a subsequent dental appointment. Please ask us if you have any questions about this procedure or if you think you need a crown.
A bridge is an option for correcting tooth loss and maintaining proper mouth function. A bridge, also known as a fixed partial denture, is a restoration used to replace a missing tooth by joining permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants. A bridge is fabricated by preparing the teeth on either side of the missing tooth for crowns. The final restoration is made up of 3 connected crowns: the crown on the front tooth, the crown to replace the missing tooth, and the crown on the back tooth. If more than one tooth is missing, more crowns are added to the bridge to replace all the missing teeth. The final bridge is cemented to the teeth and therefore is not removable.
Bridges are made of the same materials as crowns. They are cleaned by using a floss threader (as you would use a needle and thread) to get under the “fake” tooth and dislodge any plaque that may be present. This is of critical importance as the bridge depends on the adjacent teeth for support. Keeping those teeth as clean as possible ensures the stability and health of the bridge for years to come. The doctors or a staff member here at Molina Dentistry will be happy to demonstrate the proper way to floss your new bridge.