Even with the best care, accidents and dental disease still arise. Cavities can occur, or teeth can be damaged or lost, causing pain, difficulty eating and compromised appearance.
If you find yourself in that position, Leiston Dental Care has a wide range of restorative treatments available to help, such as crowns and bridges. Crowns and bridges are applied with skill and precision in our friendly, supportive and hygienic environment.
A crown (or “cap”) is a laboratory made restoration which is fitted over the natural tooth after it has been prepared in the surgery. Normally, the crown entirely covers the tooth above the gum line. Zirconia and porcelain crowns are highly aesthetic with the aim of seamlessly blending in with the adjacent teeth. Most people would struggle to see a difference. Precious metal crowns are also available and offer some advantages but have largely been superseded by more aesthetic, white crowns. Crowns are most suitable when restoring heavily broken down or unsightly teeth, particularly in cases where the tooth has been root canal treated.
A bridge is a fixed replacement of one or more missing teeth, which is permanently attached to the adjacent natural teeth, usually by crowns. This typically requires preparation of the natural teeth adjacent to the bridge for it to be anchored securely. Dental implants are generally now regarded as the gold standard for replacing missing teeth, particularly in younger patients with healthy teeth adjacent to the space, as they do not require preparation and removal of healthy tooth tissue. There are certain instances where a bridge remains the best treatment option. For instance, where the adjacent teeth are already heavily restored with defective crowns or restorations, where there is insufficient bone or in cases where complex medical history contra-indicates the placement of implants.
Crowns and bridges are a great way of maintaining the aesthetic qualities of a smile by replacing the part of the missing tooth that is visible above the gum line.
As well as the aesthetic benefits, we may occasionally recommend crowns to protect the remaining natural tooth below the gum, keeping it strong and functional for a long time. This is particularly pertinent for root canal treated molar and pre-molar teeth, where a crown will often provide the optimal coronal seal, preventing bacteria from leaking into the root filling, and reduce the risk of unfavourable fracture. Other laboratory constructed restorations may also be considered, such as inlays (which sit inside the tooth) and onlays (which sit over just the biting surface), as these are more conservative and require less tooth preparation Bridges also have an important part to play in helping you to maintain smile functionality. They can help stop the remaining teeth from moving when one is missing, which can be problematic, especially when it leads to teeth becoming crooked as a result.
To ensure that you get the very best crown and bridge treatment at our clinic, we use renowned local laboratory Dental Art Ceramics (Norwich). Their work is consistently brilliant and they are used by regional specialist centre, Norfolk Dental Specialists, to construct their implant crowns.
Monolithic zirconia crowns are typically used for restoring back teeth, as they are exceptionally strong and tooth coloured. Front teeth are normally restored with E-Max porcelain crowns, as these offer superior appearance, although a zirconia core layered with porcelain can also be incorporated in cases where previous restorations or crowns have fractured or higher strength is required, such as in bruxists (people who grind their teeth at night). Precious metal crowns remain a time testing stalwart but have fallen out of favour due to the high price of precious metal and the fact that they are not tooth coloured. They remain an option worthy of consideration, particularly in cases where appearance is not of paramount importance, where there is little vertical space between the arches or when replacing an existing metal crown (as preparation for white crowns involves removal of more tooth).
We also use intraoral cameras to ensure crowns and bridges are precisely matched with the surrounding teeth so the shade of your restoration is highly accurate. Adrian at Dental Art Ceramics offers a highly personalised service and for no extra charge you are welcome to attend his laboratory in person for shade taking and to discuss specific requirements.
If you are seeking high-quality crown and bridgework, please contact the team at Leiston Dental Care on 01728 561873 to arrange an appointment.
98 High Street,
Leiston,
Suffolk,
IP16 4BZ