Dental Crowns and Bridges: Restoring Strength and Beauty at Gasior Family Dental
Dentistry is an art as well as a science; dental crowns are a perfect example. A dental crown or “cap” is a covering that fits over a damaged, decayed, or unattractive tooth. It can even replace a tooth entirely as part of dental bridgework.
A crown covers a tooth above the gum line. This contrasts with a dental veneer, which only covers a tooth’s front surface and needs a healthy tooth structure to support it. Therefore, if a tooth is missing a significant amount of structure above the gum line, a crown would be the restoration of choice by your dentist in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Crowns strengthen damaged teeth, allowing them to function normally again. When crafted from today’s high-tech porcelains, crowns are virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth. Dental crowns can even be designed to improve a tooth’s original appearance.
Materials Used for Dental Crowns
Depending on the qualities that matter most, we can use different materials besides porcelain to make dental crowns. The professionals at Gasior Family Dental will discuss the best option for your specific needs:
- Porcelain: Provides the best aesthetics, making them look like natural teeth.
- Cast Gold: Offers unmatched durability, particularly for teeth towards the back of the mouth.
- Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM): Features a metal interior for strength and a porcelain exterior for a more natural appearance.
- All-Porcelain with Zirconia: Represents the strongest ceramic option, offering excellent durability and aesthetics.
Crowning or Capping a Tooth (The Procedure)
Crowning or capping a tooth usually requires two to three visits to our Ann Arbor dental office. We ensure the procedure is comfortable and precise.
Visit 1: Preparation and Temporary Crown
- Your tooth is prepared for its new crown by being shaped to fit inside the new covering. This involves some drilling to give the tooth a uniform shape. The tooth and the surrounding area will be numbed beforehand.
- If very little tooth structure is left, the tooth may have to be built up with filling material rather than filed down to support the crown.
- Impressions of your teeth are taken, either digitally or with reliable, putty-like impression materials, and sent to the dental laboratory.
- Highly skilled lab technicians use these models to create a custom crown, ensuring it is designed to enhance your smile and function well within your bite.
- Before you leave the office, a temporary crown will be attached to your tooth to protect it until the permanent crown is ready.
Visit 2: Permanent Placement
At the second visit, your permanent crown will be attached to your tooth with either a resin that hardens when exposed to a particular light source or a type of permanent cement.
Creating a Bridge with Crowns and Bridgework
Crowns can also create a lifelike replacement for a missing tooth. This is done with a bridge, which spans the space of the missing tooth and requires at least three crowns. This process involves:
- Abutment Teeth: Two crowns will be placed over healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth. These crowned teeth become the supports for the bridge.
- Pontic: A third crown, called a pontic, is placed between the two abutment crowns to replace the missing tooth.
If more than one tooth is missing, more crowns will be needed to bridge the gap. The number of abutment teeth necessary is influenced by the number of missing teeth, the size and length of the abutment tooth roots, and the amount of bone support each abutment tooth has. Engineering and designing the bridge requires precise planning by your dentist in Ann Arbor.
Caring for Your Crowns and Bridgework
Crowns and bridgework require the same conscientious care as your natural teeth. To protect your investment:
- Be sure to brush and floss between all of your teeth—restored and natural—every day to reduce the buildup of dental plaque.
- It is even more important to maintain your regular schedule of cleanings at the dental office.
- Avoid using your teeth as tools (to open packages, for example).
- If you have a grinding habit, wearing a nightguard would be a good idea to protect your teeth and restoration.