Dental Crown & Bridges
What is crown and bridge ?
Crown :
- It is like a cap or shell that covers entire tooth structure
- It imparts strength to the remaining tooth structure when placed on damaged tooth
Bridge :
- It is a multiple unit prosthesis
- Artificial teeth which replaces the missing natural teeth is fused with crowns placed on adjacent teeth
Why is crown is required ?
- For root canal treated tooth
- Extensive decay
- Portion of tooth which has been broken
- Tooth which has developed cracks
- To make discoloured tooth look more like a natural one
Why is bridge required ?
- For single or multiple extracted ( removed ) teeth
- For congenitally ( by birth ) missing teeth
What if missing or broken teeth are not replaced by bridge?
- There will be drifting and shifting of adjacent teeth causing abnormal bite and occlusion resulting in headache or migraine problems
- Bone loss in the area of missing teeth is observed
- There will be increase in the biting stress on the other remaining teeth
- There will be gap between the remaining teeth which increases gradually , compromising on aesthetics gradually losing the natural smile
What are the steps of preparation in crown / bridge ?
- The tooth is anaesthesia if required
- Grinding of teeth for the preparation
- Impression taken of the prepared teeth
- Fabrication of crown or bridge in laboratory
- Fixation of the crown or bridge with the cement
Which are the types of crowns /bridges used routinely ?
PFM( porcelain fused with metal) (ceramic) :
Good aesthetic ( cosmetic )
Good strength
All ceramic :
Excellent esthetic ( cosmetic )
Generally used in front teeth
Zirconia :
Computerized designning and maling
Excellent esthetic ( cosmetic )
Excellent strength
Used both in front as well as back teeth
Metal :
Poor esthetic
Good strength
What are the risk involved in Bridge preparation ?
- Need to grind (preparation) of the adjacent teeth
- In some case root canal treatment beacomes a complusion of the teeth to be prepared
- Best alternative to bridge are Dental Implants ( feel free to ask for further details )
What are the care and maintenace to be done ?
- Dental decay , gum disease and crown / root fracture are common cause of failure
- Good oral hygiene and 6 monthly dental checks ups will extend the life of a crown or bridge
- Avoid extremely sticky food which could unseat the cemented crown
- Avoid biting into extremely hard objects which may cause chipping of crown and damage tooth structure
