DENTAL CROWN AND BRIDGE
DENTAL CROWN A dental crown or dental cap is a custom made restoration that covers a tooth with sustained significant loss of structure. They are analogical to being a thimble capped over your finger. Dental crowns are used to restore teeth to a certain shape and size. They provide strength and improves the appearance of the tooth.
Benefits of Dental Crown Protects severely damaged tooth or tooth weakened by decay, fracture, large fillings or root canal therapy from fracturing. Teeth with large fillings tend to "flex more" forcing the tooth apart possibly causing stress fractures
- Holds together cracked or weaken teeth and seal the tooth from decay
- Covers discolored and irregularities in teeth in improving cosmetic appearance
- Helps preserve the natural function and position of the teeth
- Restores tooth with large decay, cavities or filings
- Supports the replacement teeth in a bridge
- Restores and maintains natural bite
- Covers a dental implant
Postcare Instructions for Dental Crowns
- Avoid chewing on or eating hard foods on the restorations for 24 hours from the time they were cemented
- To help with discomfort or swelling rinse your mouth with warm salt water. (1tsp. of salt in 8oz of water)
- Keep crown area clean to maintain tissue compatibility (the contour of the prosthesis must allow the surrounding tissue to conform to a natural, healthy position)
- Some sensitivity in teeth may be experienced by certain patients. This sensitivity will disappear gradually over a few days to weeks. If teeth are sensitive
- Avoid hot, cold or acidic food and beverages
- Pain medication be taken as directed as long as there is no medical contradiction based upon your medical history
- Use flouride rinse and toothpaste for sensitive teeth
- Clean teeth properly.
Care for Dental Crowns
Dental crowns require the same regular and consistent home and professional dental care, as your natural teeth to prevent decay at the tooth-dental crown junction. To provide optimum longevity for your restorations, please follow the home care tips below:
- Brush after eating and before bedtime around the crown with a soft toothbrush, especially where the crown meets the gum line. At the gum line harmful bacteria can be harbored to cause decay and gum disease.
- Floss at least once to twice a day. Use the proxy brush or floss threader to remove plaque under and around these areas to maintain good oral hygiene. Buildup of food debris and plaque on your teeth and gums can become infected.
- Rinse with fluoride rinse before bed. Swish the fluoride rinse vigorously in your mouth for at least one minute. Do not swallow any of the rinse and do not eat or drink anything for 30 minutes
- Be careful about chewing toffees, gum, grainy rolls and tough food in this area.
- See your dentist for regular professional check-ups and cleaning.
What are dental bridges?
Dental bridges are false teeth, which are anchored onto neighbouring teeth in order to replace one or more missing teeth. The false tooth is known as a pontic and is fused in between two crowns that serve as anchors by attaching to the teeth on each side of the false tooth, thereby bridging them together.
What are the parts of a typical dental bridge (fixed)?
- A pontic or false tooth used to replace the missing tooth, which is made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials.
- Two crowns - serving to anchor the false tooth in place.
When are dental bridges needed?
- Bridges are recommended when there are one or more teeth missing that affect:
- Your smile and appearance.
- Your bite, as a result of adjacent teeth leaning into the space and altering the way the upper and lower teeth bite together.
- Your speech.
- The shape of your face.
- The rate of gum disease and tooth decay as a result of food accumulated in the gap.
What are dental crown and bridges made of?
Bridges may be made of Porcelain , metal , porcelain fused metal , CAD CAM
Types of crowns available at Smile Galleria :
- LAVA PREMIUM ( High Translucency Zirconia
- LAVA CLASSIC ( Zirconia Precision Solutions )
- LAVA ESSENTIAL ( Zirconia Crown & Bridges )
- 3M TRANSLUCENT
- BRUXZIR (Solid Zirconia Crown Bridges )
- TILITE (USA FDA APPROVED 100% PURE )
- 5YW ULTRA-TRANSLUCENT ( Esthetic Without Compromise )
- 5YW CAD/CAM ZIRCONIA ( Challenge to natural tooth )
- E-MAX ( All Ceramic , all you need )
- LASER PFM (CAD SINTERED PFM , incredibly thinner margins when compared with conventional PFM )
- CERCON -HT ( Monolithic )
- CERCON -HT ( Layered )
- ZENOSTAR -T ( Monolithic )
- ZENOSTAR -T ( Layered )
- CERAMIC
- WHITE METAL
How long will dental bridges last?
Dental bridges can last 10-15 years, provided that you maintain good dental hygiene and eating habits.
How to take care of your dental bridges?
Practise good dental hygiene:
- Clean the dental bridge every day to prevent tooth decay, bad breath and gum disease.
- Clean under the false tooth every day.
- Keep the remaining teeth healthy, as these serve as the foundation for the dental bridge
Brushing and flossing
- Brush twice and floss daily.
- To floss, use a bridge floss threader, which is a flexible piece of plastic with a loop at one end to thread the floss.
- Thread one end of a 14-to-18-inch piece of dental floss through the loop, making sure to leave one side about half as long as the other.
- Insert the end of the floss without the hole between the bridge and the gumline.
- Hold onto the longer piece of floss, gently bring it up and pull the pointed end all the way through.
- Floss using both hands, moving the floss back and forth under the bridge.
- Floss the bridge completely from one end to the other.
Diet and eating habits:
- Eat soft foods or food cut into small pieces until you get accustomed to the dental bridge.
- Eat a balanced and nutritious diet for good general and dental health.
What are the advantages of dental bridges?
- They are natural in appearance.
- They generally require only two appointments with the dentist.
- They have a good life period, lasting for 10-15 years, providing you maintain good dental hygiene.
- They improve your appearance, bite issues and speech problems occurring as a result of missing teeth.
What are the disadvantages of dental bridges?
- Teeth become mildly sensitive to extreme temperatures for a few weeks.
- They require healthy tooth tissue from neighboring teeth to be prepared.
- Your teeth and gums are vulnerable to infection as a result of accumulation of bacteria due to the food acids (if proper hygiene is not maintained).
