Crowns and Bridges
Crowns:
A cosmetic dental crown is a protective cover fitted over the existing structure of a broken or damaged tooth, to restore function and appearance. Today, crowns are typically made from ceramic which is the modern material of choice and which has superseded the traditional material, porcelain. Ceramic is stronger than porcelain and some argue cosmetically superior.
The crowning process involves the shaping of the original tooth, following which an impression is taken of the tooth using an impression material. The master ceramist will then manufacture the crown in the dental laboratory, to the desired shape and colour. This process may take a few weeks during which time the prepared tooth will be protected with a temporary crown. The process is completed when the dentist fits the permanent crown by bonding it to the prepared tooth using special adhesive.
Crowns can be used in conjunction with other cosmetic dental techniques to create a full mouth reconstruction.
Dental Crowns - Case 1
In this case existing crowns on the six upper front were replaced to provide more aesthetic restorations.
Bridges:
A cosmetic bridge is used as a permanent replacement for one or more missing teeth. There are two main types: Adhesive or conventional. The conventional type involves preparing the adjacent teeth and thus can be quite destructive where as the adhesive bridge requires minimal preparation and hence is more conservative. A dental bridge is essentially used to “bridge the gap” between the remaining adjacent teeth, thus replacing any missing teeth and restoring aesthetics, function and the ‘bite’.
