Crowns & Fixed Bridges
Crowns
A crown is a permanent restoration that fits over a natural tooth that is either decayed, damaged or cracked. Crowns are made of a variety of different materials such as porcelain, gold, or a combination of these materials. Porcelain crowns generally have the most natural appearance, and gold crowns are the most durable.
In order to fabricate a crown it is necessary to shape the tooth to create an ideal fit for the crown. Then an impression is made of your mouth in order to create a custom crown made in a professional dental laboratory.
Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and crowns. This helps in the prevention of gum disease. Given proper care, your crowns can last many years.
This patient had a severely worn dentition from years of clenching and grinding. To restore him to function, we placed porcelain crowns on the 6 anterior maxillary teeth. He also whitened his teeth.
This patient had many failing porcelain fused to metal crowns and old fillings. We replaced these with natural looking all porcelain crowns to restore her to dental health and make her confident to smile again.
Bridges
A bridge is a dental device that fills a space that a tooth previously occupied. The bridge is generally cemented to the natural teeth adjacent to the space left by a missing tooth. The process in fabricating a bridge is similar to that of a crown.
A bridge may be necessary to prevent shifting of the teeth that can lead to bite problems and/or jaw problems and resultant periodontal disease. Bridges protect the integrity of existing teeth and help maintain a healthy mouth.
Post Treatment – Crowns and Fixed Bridges
You have just had crowns or fixed bridges placed onyour teeth. They will replace your missing tooth structure or missing teeth very well and should give you years of service if you will observe the following suggestions:
Chewing: Do not chew hard foods on the restorations 24 hours from the time they were placed. The cement reaches optimum strength in 24 hrs.
Sensitivity: It is not unusual to experience mild sensitivity to hot or cold foods. It will disappear gradually over a few weeks. If the sensitivity last longer than six weeks contact us.
Aggressive Chewing: Do not chew ice or other hard objects. Avoid chewing very sticky foods such as taffy because they can remove restorations.
Preventive Procedures: To provide optimum longevity for your restorations and prevent future dental decay, please use the following preventive procedures that are checked:
- Brush and floss after eating and before bedtime
- Swish vigorously with a fluoride rinse for at least 30 seconds daily
- Use a Sonicare toothbrush as advised by us
- Use a Water Pik as advised by us
Recalls: Visit us for regular six month examination. Often, small problems that are developing around the restorations can be found at an early stage and corrected easily, but waiting for a longer time may require redoing the entire restoration. Inadequate return for examination is the most significant reason for the prostheses failure.
Problems: If any of the following conditions occur, contact us immediately to avoid further problems:
- Movement or looseness in the restoration
- A peculiar taste from the restoration site
- Breakage of a piece of material from the restoration
- Sensitivity to pressure
Post Treatment – Temporary Crowns or Bridges
You have just received a temporary restoration that will serve you for a short period of time. A few comments about this temporary restoration will be helpful to you.
Chewing:
- The temporary cement requires about ½ hour to set. Please do not chew during that period of time.
- Temporary restorations are not strong, and they may break or come off. If so, call us and we will replace them. If you are not able to contact us, go to a pharmacy and get some Fixodent. Replace the temporary on your tooth with a very small amount of Fixodent holding it in place. This denture adhesive will retain the temporary restoration until you can see us. Please do not leave the temporary restoration out of your mouth because the teeth will move and the final restoration will not fit.
- To minimize problems with your temporary restoration avoid chewing gum, caramels or other sticky treats.
Color, Shape, and Size:
- The color, shape, and size of the temporary restoration does not resemble the final restoration in any way.
Tooth Sensitivity:
- Temporary restorations may leak saliva or food into the tooth. Sensitivity to cold, hot, or sweet is not uncommon. This sensitivity will not occur with your permanent restorations.
Please call us if you have any questions or problems.