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Crowns and Bridges
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 in a number of ways:
- restore and maintain the
natural bite
- prevent unnatural stresses
on other teeth
- keep opposing teeth in their
natural place
- prevent shifting and tilting
of adjacent teeth
- discourage further dental
breakdown
- enhance your smile, speech
and chewing function
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