Crowns
Crowns, also commonly called "caps," are lab made "coverings" that cover and protect the visible portion of the tooth. Crowns are needed when the existing tooth structure is weakened by cracks, broken off portions of the tooth, or large fillings.
By covering the tooth over with a crown, the remaining tooth structure is protected and held together so that during chewing, etc, nothing can break off and necessitate an extraction.
Crowns are made of different materials depending on the location of the tooth and other factors such as aesthetics and clenching or teeth grinding. Most commonly now crowns are made out of Zirconia, a tooth colored material that is one of the strongest materials available. The only material stronger is an all metal crown, which is either silver or gold in appearance and a mixture of noble metals. For front teeth we sometimes make complete porcelain crowns as they have the most life like appearance with respect to matching the surrounding teeth in translucency and shade.
Bridges & Implants
For a patient desiring the most permanent tooth replacement option available today, we offer implant supported crowns and bridges. In this case, a titanium implant is placed in the area of the lost tooth or teeth by an oral surgeon. After a healing period of roughly 3-4 months during which the implant and bone fuse for a sturdy foundation, we will fabricate in conjunction with our local lab an aesthetic and functional implant supported crown or bridge.
