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Crowns
Crownwork achieves much the same results as veneer work. It is
employed in situations where veneers would be unsuitable.
Preparation for a crown involves removing slightly more tooth.
Crowns are used to replace broken, damaged or severely decayed
teeth. In the past, if you needed a dental crown you had only one
option: a metal crown; usually made from gold. But, with advances
in the strength and durability of ceramics, you now have a choice
between traditional metal crowns; porcelain crowns fused to metal;
porcelain onlays; or crowns made entirely from porcelain or
reinforced resin.
In situations
where there is a high amount of concern about appearance, a bonded
all porcelain crown (metal-free) is the nicest restoration. For
the front teeth, the advantage is its natural, lifelike
translucency and not having to deal with the possibility of the
potentially unsightly dark line at the gum line of the tooth. For
back teeth, the advantage of a porcelain crown or onlay is the
conservation of healthy tooth structure and kindness to the gums.
For
teeth that are toward the back but that still show when you smile,
a porcelain fused to metal crown is a good choice. Because it
isn't in such a prominent position, it usually looks very natural,
and although it's not indestructible, it's strong enough to resist
the heaviest biting stresses.
Bridgework
Bridges are fixed restorations that replace one or more missing
teeth. If missing teeth are not replaced the adjacent teeth can
tilt into the space, opposing teeth can over-erupt and you may
have trouble chewing.
To fit a
bridge, the two teeth on either side of the missing tooth are
ground down and fitted with crowns. These two crowns support a
third crown, fitted in the centre, to bridge the gap left by the
missing tooth.
Types of Bridges
1. All porcelain.
As the name suggests these bridges are made from a new Porcelain
material which is cast from molten porcelain. They are then built
up to completely recreate your missing tooth/teeth. They are
usually provided at the front where aesthetics are of prime
concern and where biting forces are somewhat less.
2. Adhesive Bridges
Adhesive bridges as the name suggests are bonded to adjacent
teeth. They are more conservative when compared to other bridge
types since they usually don't involve the drilling of adjacent
teeth. They can be made of all porcelain, porcelain bonded to
metal or composite resin.
3. Porcelain Bonded Bridges
Porcelain Bonded bridges are made from porcelain which is fused to
a precious metal core. The metal core provides additional strength
and is usually prescribed at the back of the mouth where biting
forces are higher and aesthetics are not of prime concern. They
involve the preparation of the adjacent teeth.
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