703.478.9574Tooth Crown and Teeth Bridges
Reston and Arlington, VA
When a tooth becomes decayed or damaged beyond a certain point, it needs more than simply a filling or an inlay or onlay.
- Continuing with a filling it’s likely to break at some point
- An inlay or onlay can strengthen it if the decay is not too extensive
- It can be renewed for many years to come with a teeth crown
When a tooth is missing altogether, a bridge provides a new start. A traditional bridge consists of an artificial tooth attached to a crown on each side, which are fitted over the two teeth next to the missing one.
By means of teeth crowns and bridges, your teeth can be preserved in part, and given a new surface. The root remains, and the center part of the tooth, while the crown forms a cap over the tooth to give it protection and strength.
Crowns
Crowns can be placed on both front and back teeth. There are several choices of materials:
- Gold – which is strong and highly durable, but clearly different from the rest of your teeth
- Porcelain and metal mix – which is also strong, is made tooth-colored, but has a dull finish unlike the sheen of natural teeth
- Dental porcelain – which is strong after it’s bonded to your teeth, is made to match your natural tooth color, and is translucent, which gives it the same sheen as your natural teeth
Teeth crowns on front teeth will mostly be of all-porcelain. On back teeth they may have to be of porcelain mixed with metal, for extra strength on those chewing surfaces.
This patient had dark, stained front teeth. He received 4 porcelain crowns and 4 anterior teeth. What a difference!
Click here to learn more about Dental Crowns.
The procedure
Dr. Katz will give you local anesthetic and remove any decay in the tooth. He’ll sculpt the tooth to receive the crown, giving it little retention grooves and a ledge.
- When it’s ready, he’ll make an impression of it for the lab to build the crown from
- In a second visit, he’ll fit the crown, make minor adjustments for comfort, and attach it with special cement
Bridges
There are 3 kinds of teeth bridges:
- Traditional bridge – a pontic (artificial) tooth is in between two crowns, on the neighboring teeth, (abutment teeth).
- Resin bonded bridge (Maryland bridge) – the pontic tooth has artificial gum around it, and both are made of plastic. They have metal bands which extend out the sides and are bonded to the back of the adjacent teeth. This type of bridge is often used to replace teeth missing in the front of the mouth.
- Cantilever bridge – this type is used when there’s only one neighboring tooth on which to attach the bridge. Cantilevered means jutting out, like a balcony.
The traditional bridge is most often done and it requires 3 visits, or more, depending on how much fine-tuning must be done after it’s placed temporarily.
- The two crowns are done as described above, with the teeth scuffed down a little to prepare them for the crown, and an impression taken for the lab to use
- On the second visit, the new tooth and its 2 adjacent crowns are placed temporarily for a short testing period
- On the third visit, if all feels right to you, and the dentist is satisfied, the bridge is cemented permanently
Click here to learn more about Dental Bridges.
If you need a new teeth crown and teeth bridge work, please contact Dr. Katz in Herndon and schedule your Free Smile Evaluation.
