Crowns and bridges
Crowns, bridges and dentures
When a tooth is too badly broken down to fill, or missing altogether, prosthetic work restores the function. Which solution fits depends on how many teeth are missing and how much bone is there.
When prosthetic work becomes necessary
A filling has a limit. When too little of a tooth is left, a filling no longer withstands the chewing load and the tooth breaks sooner or later. That is where a crown takes over.
If a tooth is missing entirely, it is not only about appearance. The neighbouring teeth tip into the gap over time, the opposing tooth grows down into it, and the bite changes. A gap left open for a long time makes the eventual treatment more involved.
The options
Crown. Covers an existing tooth completely and restores its shape and function.
Bridge. Replaces one or more missing teeth, resting on the neighbouring teeth, which are ground down for it.
Denture. When many teeth are missing, either removable or fixed onto implants.
Crown on an implant. The solution that leaves the neighbouring teeth untouched.
How the decision is made
After the examination and the digital images, you can see which options exist in your case, what each of them takes in time and what each means in the long run.
The decision is yours, not the clinic’s. But you make it with the full picture.
Materials
Crowns and bridges are made from zirconia and ceramic. The blanks come from European manufacturers, mostly German.
The process
Prepare the tooth, measure digitally, match the shade. The laboratory work takes about a week. Then it is fitted, the bite is checked and adjusted if needed.
If a tooth was extracted first, around three weeks of healing comes before all of this.
Crowns and bridges carry a five-year guarantee, fillings two years.
Questions and answers
What people ask most often
Crown, bridge or implant, what is the difference?
A crown covers a tooth that is still there but badly broken down. A bridge replaces a missing tooth and rests on the teeth either side, which have to be ground down for it. An implant replaces the missing tooth on its own, without touching the neighbours.
Why is there a wait after an extraction?
After a tooth comes out, the shape of the gum and the bone keeps changing for about three weeks. A bridge made too early no longer sits cleanly afterwards.
Will the join to my own tooth be visible?
Not with careful shade matching and a clean margin. The colour is matched against the neighbouring teeth in daylight before the work goes to the laboratory.
How do I look after crowns and bridges?
Like your own teeth, with one addition: plaque gathers easily under a bridge, so interdental brushes or floss belong to the routine. The crown itself cannot decay; the tooth underneath can.
Related treatments
Implantology
Dental implants: how they work and how they are placed
An implant is an artificial tooth root made of titanium, placed into the jawbone, with the crown fitted on top of it later. It is the only solution that replaces a lost tooth without touching the teeth beside it.
Cosmetic
Cosmetic dentistry: veneers, crowns, whitening
Discoloured, worn or uneven front teeth can be corrected with veneers, ceramic crowns or whitening. Which route is right depends on what we start from, and it is discussed before anything begins.
The first consultation is free
An examination, a clear explanation of your options and a treatment plan, with no obligation. Message us on WhatsApp or give us a call.