Crown and Bridge

Crown is cap like structure placed on natural tooth to strengthen it and provide aesthetic and function. Bridge is a design of fixed teeth where crowns are connected together, adjacent teeth on each side serve as an anchor to support the bridge while missing teeth gap in the middle is filled with middle crown of bridge.

What is Indication of crown?

• Grossly carious and damaged tooth that can not be restored by filling.
• RCT treated tooth. After RCT tooth become weak and brittle that need support in the form of crown to protect it from fracture.
• Cracked tooth and traumatic tooth.

What is indication of dental bridge (Fixed Teeth)?

Bridge is fixed dental prosthesis used to restore missing tooth. For bridge it is mandatory to have healthy teeth on each site of missing tooth.

What are benefits of dental bridge (fixed teeth)?

• Restore aesthetic and function
• Restore proper chewing and speaking
• Maintain facial height and symmetry
• Distribute the bite forces evenly on all teeth.
• Prevent tilting and drifting of adjacent teeth and super-eruption of opposing teeth.

What Types of Dental Bridges Are Available?

There are two main types of dental bridges:

  Conventional Bridge: These are cemented with GIC. Crown is placed on each side to support bridge with pontic between them.

These are suitable for:

• Long span bridge with multiple missing teeth
• Heavily restored adjacent teeth,
• Patients with parafunctional habits
• Cases where malalignment of teeth and spacing between natural teeth are present.

Resin-bonded bridge are conservative bridges that are bonded to adjacent teeth. These are suitable for cases:

• These can be used for long term temporary or permanent bridge.
• These are minimally invasive and preserve tooth structure.
• There is no need for local anesthesia,
• no sensitivity and damage to the pulp.
• These are suitable among developing children, short span bridge with healthy adjacent teeth.

What is procedure for Bridge (Fixed Teeth) preparation?

During the first visit for getting a dental bridge, the abutment teeth are prepared. Preparation involves recontouring (geometrical shaping) these teeth by removing a portion of enamel to allow room for a crown to be placed over them. Next, impressions of the teeth are made, which serve as a model from which the bridge, pontic, and crowns will be made by a dental lab. Your dentist will make a temporary bridge to protect the exposed teeth and gums while the bridge is being made.

During the second visit, your temporary bridge will be removed and the new porcelain bridge will be checked and adjusted, as necessary, to achieve a proper fit and cemented into its place.

What is the best material for crown and bridge?

It depends upon cosmetic and functional requirement. Metal, porcelain fused to metal (PFM), and full ceramic like Lithium Disilicate (Emax), Zirconium and alumina are available. Zirconium is hardest porcelain. Zirconium is inert, biocompatible and aesthetically pleasing because of tooth color and metal free nature.