A beautiful and snow-white smile for many years crowns and bridges correct defects, do not stain, and even protects teeth! FREE CONSULTATION A dental crown is the most common prosthetics option. This is an artificial tooth cap, which is installed on some kind of support - its own root, post, or implant. A dental bridge consists of several crowns. The purpose of such a prosthesis is to restore from one to 4-5 teeth. The main advantages of such prostheses are their material availability and rather a simple implementation.

When is a dental crown required?

Important! Dental crowns are installed only if there is support - the root of the tooth must be preserved, even if there is no nerve in it. It is usually built up and strengthened, for example, by means of a post and core.

WHEN DENTAL BRIDGE has REQUIRED

• the absence of one or more teeth,
• the presence of teeth or roots located on both sides of the defect, which can serve as a support for the bridge

The dental bridge is fixed on one or two teeth. That is, if you need to restore only one tooth, the bridge will consist of 2 or 3 crowns - the two outer ones will rest on the teeth or roots reinforced with a post and core, which will serve as a kind of support for the entire structure.

Types and methods of dental crowns fixation

Dental crowns can be temporary or permanent. The first ones are used until a permanent prosthesis is made, or they are fixed for the time of implant engraftment in the bone tissue. They are made of plastic or metal-plastic - these are lightweight and plastic materials that do not exert excessive pressure on the implants (so as not to disrupt the engraftment process) and are also easily corrected, if necessary, directly in the oral cavity. Dental crowns also differ in the materials used to make them. In our practice, we use the following options:

• porcelain fused to metal: these crowns have a metal framework (inexpensive alloys or precious metals), lined with a ceramic layer. Service life - from 7-10 years,
• one-piece ceramics: such crowns are less durable than metal-ceramic, but also more aesthetic - even with a lumen they are slightly translucent, which allows you to achieve ideal aesthetics when restoring thin anterior teeth. Service life - from 5-7 years,
• zirconium: the most durable option. Zirconia crowns are created exclusively by milling, that is, not by hand. This allows you to achieve the most accurate positioning on the tooth, taking into account the smallest anatomical features. Service life - from 15 years.

All these materials are used to create dental bridges. But the best option is considered porcelain fused to metal (in terms of price and quality), as well as zirconium - it allows you to create long-lasting bridges consisting of 4-5 or even more crowns in a row (however, in this case, 2 supports in the form of living teeth may be not enough and one or more implants will need to be installed).

ADVANTAGES OF DENTAL CROWNS

• high aesthetics: there is a shade guide with no less than a dozen different options for ceramic shades, which allows you to accurately match the color to the adjacent teeth,
• the durability of the crowns themselves - the materials do not shrink, do not change color and shape,
• extending the service life of a living tooth - with the crown installed, it can last for 5-10 or all 15-20 years,
• compatibility with our body: thanks to a wide selection, it is possible to choose prostheses that will not cause discomfort and allergic reactions,
• the crown can be installed even on a "dead" tooth, without a nerve,
• the nerve under the crown can be preserved.

ADVANTAGES OF DENTAL BRIDGES

• A relatively inexpensive option for restoring teeth that are missing along with the root,
• high aesthetics, since the material of the crowns, can be selected in accordance with the shade of living teeth,
• no surgical operations are required,
• quick prosthetics: only 2 visits to the doctor are required,
• painless installation,
• full restoration of chewing function.

Disadvantages of crowns and dental bridges

Dental crowns have practically no disadvantages: they significantly extend the life of natural teeth and restore the smile of patients in terms of aesthetics. But bridges have much more disadvantages: they require the strongest turning of two abutment teeth, even if they are in perfect condition - this is necessary to fix the prosthesis. That is, such teeth will also need to be restored after the removal of the bridge. There is another rather significant drawback - the process of atrophy of the jawbone is preserved and continues under the prosthesis. The tissue does not receive the load that was previously transmitted through the root of the tooth, therefore, the nutrition of the bone cells stops, the tissue shrinks. This is fraught with subsidence of the bone along with the gum, which means that over time, a gap will appear under the bridge.

What happens during a dental crown procedure?

First visit During the first visit, the tooth that’s going to receive the crown is examined and prepared- carious lesions are removed, and if necessary, the nerve is removed, and the canals are cleaned and sealed. If a large part of a tooth's original crown structure has been lost, the tooth is additionally strengthened - a post might be inserted into the root space of the tooth or a core might be used to build up a tooth structure. When installing the bridge, the abutment teeth are filed- they are given the shape of a cone. Next, casts are necessarily removed, after which a temporary plastic or composite crown is placed, in the absence of several teeth - a removable prosthesis. Together with the patient, the color of future artificial teeth is selected. Second visit After the prostheses are made, the temporary structure is removed and replaced with a permanent one. Crowns and bridges are fixed with a special dental glue-cement. The excess is removed, and the prosthesis is finally polished. When choosing crowns made of cermets, you may need to try on a prosthesis - for this you will have to visit the doctor one more time. If the prosthesis does not cause inconvenience, it is sent for revision and after a few days, the patient is installed a permanent structure.

EXPERT OPINION

Care of dental crowns and bridges

The main condition for care is regularity. In order for the prostheses to last a long time, you need to brush your teeth in the morning and evening with a brush and paste. Remove the remains of food after eating and visit your doctor 1-2 times during the year. It is important to undergo professional cleaning to remove dental deposits, and as a preventive examination of the condition of the entire oral cavity, installed dentures and teeth under them.

What are the alternatives?

Specialists of the center "Marina Dentists" recommend installing a dental crown on your own tooth if its life can be extended by prosthetics - this opportunity must be used. However, dental bridges are better fixed on implants - this design is more durable (it will last at least 2 times longer), pressure on the jawbone is preserved, and adjacent teeth remaining are not injured.

Thus, classic dental bridges have several alternative solutions. Firstly, it is a removable prosthesis for one or more defects of the dentition. It allows you to keep your teeth from turning, but the prosthesis is poorly fixed in the oral cavity, and the hooks can be noticeable. The second alternative is dental implantation - implants are used as support for a bridge prosthesis of any duration and protect your own teeth from turning. For conventional crowns, the only alternative is a stump inlay, the top of which is lined with a composite material. This micro prosthesis is placed inside the root, and its top repeats the shape of the crown part of the tooth.