Crown: When a tooth breaks, chips or decays in a way that it compromises the strength of that tooth, a crown is often the best way to save the tooth and strengthen it. Often associated with root canalled teeth, where the nerve and blood supply of the tooth has been removed, a crown is a fabricated “cap” used to sit over and cover the existing natural tooth. The crown is used to replace the portion of tooth that sits above the gum-line.
Bridge: A bridge is used to replace one or more missing teeth. The bridge is an artificial tooth which is anchored on to the natural teeth either side of the gap by crowns.
Types of crowns and bridges
There are a few common materials used for the fabrication of a crown and bridge. These are:
– Porcelain fused to metal crown (PFM – non-precious, semi-precious or precious metal).
– Full Porcelain Crown.
- Full Metal Crown
All materials listed above are well tolerated by the cheek and gums. The type of material used for the restoration of the teeth will depend on the position in the mouth and also on the patient’s preference.
Crowns and Bridges are used not just for cosmetic reasons, but are also used to restore function (e.g. restoring chewing), to prevent shifting teeth and to prevent excessive stress to surrounding teeth.