Crowns and bridges.

Strength and support.

A crown or “cap” is a tooth-like shell cemented over a carefully prepared existing tooth. Used to strengthen, restore or improve the appearance of your natural tooth, a crown is placed on the individual tooth much like a thimble over a finger. A crown is usually required when a tooth has been extensively weakened or restored, or when a tooth is cracked or broken. Crowns are usually placed on teeth where there is no longer sufficient tooth structure to support a filling.

Conventional crowns are made of porcelain, fused to a metal substructure. The latest advances in cosmetic dental materials have been made in the development of metal-free, ceramic crowns. The absence of metal allows for the construction of highly aesthetic, translucent crowns that imitate the characteristics and strength of natural enamel perfectly.

One of the most common functions of a crown is to serve as an abutment for a fixed bridge. A bridge is a restoration that spans a space where one or more teeth has been lost. When a lost tooth is replaced with bridgework, the adjacent teeth are prepared as crowns that will support the replacement teeth.

Crowns and bridges reverse the negative impact of missing teeth by:
Restoring and maintaining the natural bite
Preventing unnatural stresses on other teeth
Keeping opposing teeth in their natural place
Preventing shifting and tilting of adjacent teeth
Discouraging further dental breakdown
Enhancing your smile, speech and chewing function