Single Crown
A dental crown is a cap or covering for an existing tooth to make it stronger, allowing the tooth to function and look good for many years to come. Crowns can be made from porcelain, zirconia, gold alloy or a combination of porcelain and metal.
Dr Basil may suggest a crown if you have a broken, cracked or badly decayed tooth. Or after a root canal treatment, when the tooth is heavily weakened internally, to cover a stained or badly shaped teeth.
If the crown is being made in a laboratory, a temporary crown to cover your affected tooth will be made in the interim. It might take 2 to 4 weeks for the lab to make your crown. When your permanent crown is ready, you will return for your second appointment and the temporary crown is removed under local anesthetic and the new permanent crown is placed using dental adhesive
Dr Basil can now also offer you an alternative crown using 3D printed resin material with 50% ceramic content & 50% toughened resin. This option is 30% more affordable than the traditional ceramic lab made crown, however the colouring is not as precise compared to what can be achieved in a laboratory.
Dr Basil does this in house using the latest 3D printer. Dr Basil uses this type when the tooth is heavily broken down & has limited life due to unfavourable cracks in teeth that extend into the nerve and when the patient can’t afford the root canal but needs the tooth braced & protected.
Bridges
A dental bridge can replace missing teeth with false teeth. As the name implies, this appliance literally “bridges the gap”. The bridge is attached to your teeth on either side of the gap. Unlike dentures, a dental bridge is not removable.
The usual procedure involves placing a crown on the teeth on each side of the gap. The crowns are joined together by another crown that acts as a false tooth.
A dental bridge is always fixed to a specially prepared tooth. The teeth that are prepared at either end of the gap will be reduced to allow enough thickness for the porcelain to fit over the teeth to maintain the original bite and shape.
You will need more than one appointment to get a dental bridge. The first appointment involves cutting the teeth to the desired shape, scanning the prepared teeth and emailing this design to a laboratory which will carefully craft the new bridge. The prepared teeth are temporised with a plastic bridge that has a limited life and doesn’t look as good as the new ceramic bridge.
When your bridge is ready, you will return for your second appointment and the temporary bridge is removed under local anesthetic and the new permanent bridge is placed using dental adhesive.
Bridges can last for many years if they are cared for properly. However, they may fail, usually due to decay of the natural teeth under the bridge or failure of the cement.
The three types of dental bridges - the traditional dental bridge, cantilever dental bridge and the implant-supported bridge.
Traditional dental bridges are the most common type of dental bridge. These consist of dental crowns (caps) on both ends with pontics (artificial teeth) in between. A dentist bonds the crowns to your natural teeth (abutments) on either side of the gap, and the artificial teeth (pontics) fill in the space between. Dentists use traditional dental bridges when you have sound natural teeth on both sides of the gap.
A cantilever bridge is similar to a traditional bridge, however there’s only a crown on one end, not both. When your dentist bonds the bridge onto your abutment tooth, the artificial tooth (pontic) “hangs over” or extends across the gap. Dentists use cantilever bridges when you only have natural teeth on one side of the gap. Due to their design, cantilever bridges aren’t as strong as traditional bridges.
An implant-supported bridge is similar to a traditional bridge, but it rests atop dental implants instead of natural teeth. Dental implants are small threaded posts that replace missing teeth roots. Before attaching a bridge to dental implants, your implants must fully integrate (fuse) with your jawbone. This process takes three to six months on average, but it can take longer depending on your situation. Dentists can use implant-supported bridges when you have three or more missing teeth in a row.
