WHAT IS A CROWN?
Dental crowns (tooth “caps”) fully cover the tooth or implant on which they are fixed.
Crowns are used to rebuild and strengthen broken down teeth.
They are also used to improve the appearance of a teeth.
The type of crown recommended will depend on:
- The tooth involved
- Your personal preference and
- Cost
The types of crowns include:
- All porcelain - can be very aesthetic but can fracture
- Porcelain bonded to gold alloy - stronger but can still chip
- Gold crowns - best choice for longevity
- Composite - may fracture but least drilling and least cost – are repairable
- Acrylic - can look ok but only temporary as will stain and fracture – are repairable
CROWN LENGTHENING / GUM LIFTS
If you show too much gum when you smile, Laser Crown Lengthening may be the ideal solution.
Because we use laser to shape the tissues, healing is very rapid with minimal post-op discomfort when compared to traditional methods.
WHITE FILLINGS / CROWNS
At Sydney Aesthetic Smiles we exclusively use tooth coloured composite and porcelain to restore teeth but we may also recommend full gold onlays or crowns.
Tooth coloured (white) fillings and crowns generally require greater skill, care and time than amalgam (silver) fillings as they need to be bonded to tooth substance. We have many years of experience placing composite and ceramic fillings and crowns.
WHAT IS A BRIDGE?
A bridge is an appliance that is permanently fixed in the mouth to replace missing teeth.
It uses remaining teeth to support the new artificial tooth or teeth.
A bridge is made up of:
- Two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap – called abutment teeth
- and a replacement tooth in between called a pontic
The bridge can be made from composite, gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials.
