Crowns & Bridges
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped ‘cap’ that is placed over a tooth to restore its shape, size and strength. The crown, when cemented into place, fully encases the visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.
A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:
To protect a weak tooth from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't a lot of tooth left
To hold a dental bridge in place
To cover misshapen or severely discoloured teeth
To cover a dental implant
To make a cosmetic modification
Crowns can be made entirely out of ceramic or out of a metal such as gold, and sometimes both metal and ceramic are used to fabricate a crown.
Dental bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth. The missing tooth, known as the ‘pontic’, is supported by crowns on one or more of the teeth adjacent to the gap. Bridges can also be supported by implants and are often used in the replacement of multiple missing teeth - please see our section on implants for more information.
The purpose of a bridge is to replace a missing tooth. By doing this, we are able to maintain the shape of the face and mouth, to restore the ability to chew and speak properly, to distribute the forces in the bite more evenly and to also prevent the remaining teeth from drifting out of position.
There are three main types of dental bridges. The first, traditional bridges, involve creating a crown for the tooth or implant on either side of the missing tooth and putting a replacement tooth in the middle. The second, cantilever bridges are where only one adjacent tooth is used to support the replacement tooth, and finally resin-bonded bridges where instead of a crown, a metal or porcelain ‘wing’ on one side of the replacement tooth is bonded to your existing tooth. The different tooth replacement options are complex and varied and your individual situation needs to be considered before the appropriate treatment plan can be made.
At Durlacher Dental Care we are fortunate to work with extremely experienced and knowledgeable dental technicians who have the ability to make your crown look almost identical to your natural teeth. Our dental technicians are located right here in Western Australia, and we are proud to work with Australian dental technicians using state of the art materials and equipment.