Designing Smiles 13017 W Linebaugh Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33626
Crown and Bridge
Designing Smiles 813.891.1212Angela Hilton-Foley, DMD, FICOI
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13017 W. Linebaugh Ave, Tampa, Florida 33626 Email us at info@designinsmilestampa.com
CROWNS
Crowns are used to cover a tooth that is likely to break, or is too broken down to be restored with just a filling or onlay. Porcelain or gold crowns are most often placed after root canal treatment, or when a large filling wears out, breaks or a cusp fractures. Since the jaw muscles are the strongest in the human body, teeth are subjected to tremendous amounts of pressure. Crowns reinforce the tooth, by providing a protective covering over the weakened tooth, adding strength, redistributing forces over the tooth, and protecting the tooth against further breakage. Crowns help to prevent fractures, and can cosmetically enhance your smile at the same time that it provides protection.
It takes two appointments to restore a tooth with a crown. First decay or old filling materials are removed from the tooth. The tooth is built back up to proper form, and then shaped to allow sufficient room for the porcelain to cover it in all directions. An impression is made of the tooth, which is used by the laboratory to order to fabricate the crown. While the crown is being made, a temporary crown is worn by the patient. At the second visit the temporary is removed, and the permanent crown is adjusted and cemented into place.
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BRIDGES Bridges are crowns that are connected together. Most often they are used to replace a missing tooth, when there is a tooth on either side of the space, where the tooth is missing. Basically they bridge the gap. They can also be used to connect several teeth in a row, when additional reinforcement is needed. Bridges are fabricated in a laboratory, just like crowns. They can be made of gold, porcelain or a combination of gold and porcelain. The procedure is basically the same as a crown preparation. There is a preparation appointment, an impression is taken, the patient leaves with a temporary bridge, the laboratory fabricates the bridge, and then the patient returns in two - three weeks to have the permanent bridge cemented on. Nowadays, dental implants are frequently the procedure of choice, since there is less tooth reduction. If you would like to learn more about implants, please contact Designing Smiles in Tampa, Florida at 813.891.1212. We look forward to speaking with you.
(See the section on implants for more information.)
