Crowns & Bridges
At Revelstoke Dental Centre, we provide our Revelstoke patients with restorative dental services such as crowns and bridges.
What is a dental crown?
A dental crown is a restoration that covers a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size, strengthening and improving the appearance of the tooth. Dental crowns are made of metal, porcelain fused to metal substrates, or new all-white restorative materials.
Crowns are necessary when a tooth is generally broken down and a filling won't correct the problem. When a tooth is cracked, a crown holds the tooth together to seal the cracks, so the damage doesn't get worse.
Crowns are also used to restore fractured teeth, cover badly shaped or discoloured teeth, to attach a bridge, support a large filling when there isn't enough of the tooth remaining, or protect a root-canal filled tooth with compromised strength.
Dental Crown FAQs
How is a dental crown placed?
First, the tooth is numbed and prepared by removing any decayed enamel. The remaining healthy tooth is then reshaped to meet proper crown preparation design. If necessary, a restorative material, usually a composite resin, is added to the remaining tooth structure to ensure that the crown will have a good foundation. This procedure is called a "build-up".
After the tooth is prepared, an impression of the teeth and gums is made and sent to the lab for the crown fabrication. On the next visit, the dentist cements the permanent crown onto the tooth. Adjustments may be required to exact the perfect fit, so that the crown will feel comfortable in the mouth and will conform to the bite. When the crown fits seamlessly and contacts the neighboring teeth correctly, the crown is cemented on the tooth.
Do dental crowns look natural?
Yes. The dentist's main goal is to create crowns that look like natural teeth. That is why the dentist will take an impression. To achieve a certain look, a number of factors are considered, such as the colour, bite, shape, and length of your natural teeth. Any one of these factors alone can affect your appearance.
If there is a specific aesthetic look in mind for your crown, please discuss it with the dentist at your initial visit.
How long do crowns last?
Dental crowns may last approximately 5 to 8 years. However, with good oral hygiene and supervision, most crowns may last for a much longer period of time. Some damaging habits like grinding your teeth, chewing ice, or even fingernail biting, may cause this period of time to decrease significantly.
How should I take care of my crowns?
To prevent damaging the dental crown, please avoid chewing ice, hard foods or objects, and grinding your teeth. Besides visiting your dentist and brushing twice a day, cleaning between your teeth is crucial. Floss or interdental cleaners (specially shaped brushes and sticks) are important tools to remove plaque from the crown area where the gum meets the tooth.
Plaque in that area can cause dental decay and gum disease. Regularly scheduled examinations and hygiene appointments must be adhered to, or the same bacterial assault which causes decay and makes dental care necessary, may cause the restorations to fail.
What is a dental bridge?
A bridge is a dental restoration designed to replace one or more natural missing teeth, thereby "bridging" the space between two teeth. Bridges are cemented into place on the "abutment" teeth (the surrounding teeth on either side of the space that needs to be bridged).
A dental bridge typically consists of three units, a pontic (a false tooth) fused between two crowns that are cemented onto the abutment teeth. Unlike removable partial dentures, dental bridges cannot be taken out of the mouth by the patient.
Benefits of Dental Bridges
Bridges not only help to correct an altered bite, they also improve chewing ability and speech, and also work to safeguard the appearance of your smile and face by preventing the collapse of facial features that can cause premature wrinkles and age lines.
Dental Bridge FAQs
Who is a good candidate for a dental bridge?
A good candidate for a dental bridge is a person with missing teeth who is committed to maintaining good oral hygiene practices.
A bridge is a natural looking choice to fill the space in the mouth left by missing teeth. If left unfilled, this space can cause the surrounding teeth to drift out of position and can cause teeth and gums to become more susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease that can cause further tooth loss.
What type of bridges are there?
Besides traditional bridges, another popular design is the resin bonded or "Maryland" bridge, primarily used for front teeth. This is usually the most economical choice when the abutment teeth are healthy and don't contain large fillings. The pontic is fused to metal bands that can be bonded to the abutment teeth with a resin cement and hidden from view, reducing the amount of preparation on the adjacent teeth.
A cantilever bridge may be used if there are teeth on only one side of the span. This involves anchoring the pontic to one side over one or more natural, adjacent teeth. If there are no adjacent teeth to act as anchors, an implant is recommended. This is a metal post that is surgically embedded into the bone and capped with a crown as an abutment. In some cases where the span is large, a removable partial denture is recommended or even an implant-supported prosthesis
What is the process for getting a dental bridge?
For a traditional fixed bridge, the first appointment consists of the dentist reducing the adjacent abutment teeth that will act as anchors. Impressions are made, from which a metal framework, including the pontic, is created. By the second appointment, the final bridge is fitted over the teeth.
The total treatment time is usually around one week, depending on the type of bridge.
How do I care for a bridge?
With a bridge, it is more important than ever to brush, floss, and see the dentist regularly. If build up of food debris and plaque (the sticky film of bacteria that forms on your teeth) is not controlled, the teeth and gums can become infected, requiring further treatment and resulting in possible loss of the bridge.
We recommend using floss to help remove bacteria from hard to reach spaces between the bridge and adjacent teeth and gums. Crowns on the bridge cover most of the exposed portion of your tooth, and decay does not affect a bridge since it is made of metal and/or porcelain. If optimal oral hygiene care is maintained, a bridge may last for many years.