Crown and Bridge Treatment is a long-term method of replacing missing teeth or badly broken teeth. A crown is placed over an individual tooth, molding to the surrounding bone structure. This method is used when there is no longer sufficient tooth structure left to place a filling. A bridge spans a space where one or more teeth have been lost in the dental arch. The teeth on either end of the span are crowned and are referred to as abutments or anchors. The false teeth in a bridge that join the abutments are referred to as pontics.
Crowns and bridges are made from superior biologically compatible materials, precious metals (gold), ceramics, composites, or a combination thereof. Most dental restorative methods require more than one visit to the dentist. Esthetics, biocompatibility, function, and long term predictability are considered when selecting the dental material most suitable for you. In our practice, getting a crown is done in one visit! Patients do not need to wait in order to have a permanent crown made at a lab, they are made right in the office of biocompatable ceramic materials containing no metal using the CEREC cadcam process.
Missing teeth can also be restored with dental implants, which are made of titanium, and have a long-term record of success and also seem to have a high level of biocompatability.