Sicklerville Smiles uses the latest techniques and materials to restore damaged teeth with crowns and bridges.
What is a Dental Crown?
Crowns are tooth-shaped covers or caps that a dentist places over teeth that are damaged or weak. The tooth is restored to its original shape, size, and function due to the crown. Chipped or broken teeth can be repaired by a crown for cosmetic reasons but a crown may also cover the exposed area of a tooth after a root canal or replace an old filling.
Some reasons for needing a crown include:
- A large cavity
- Cracked, worn down or weak tooth
- Root canal
- Discolored or mishappen tooth
Crowns are a permanent restoration that can help you maintain a healthy, beautiful smile for many years to come. If you are considering getting a crown, the team of dental professionals at Sicklerville Smiles can help you determine if a crown is the right treatment for you and answer any questions you have about the procedure.
A combination of metal alloys, ceramics, porcelain fused to metal, or composite resin is used to create a crown.
Our doctors will take into account the patient’s natural tooth color while making the crown. In order to determine the best material to use for the crown, we will consider the original tooth’s position and function, gum tissue, the shade of the tooth and how much of the tooth is seen when the patient smiles.
Be prepared to make a couple of appointments to finish a crowning procedure. To start, our doctors will remove the outer portion of the tooth as well as any decay. An impression will be made for an exact fit. The patient will be given a temporary crown while the permanent one is made. This may take up to two weeks. As soon as the permanent crown is ready, we will place it in the patient’s mouth and adjust it. Once both our doctors and the patient are happy, the crown will be cemented in place.
Similar to natural teeth, crowns can break, and the tooth underneath the crown can still get cavities. Keeping up with good oral hygiene habits such as brushing twice a day, avoiding chewing hard foods or objects, and seeing our doctors regularly will keep the crown in good shape.
If you think a crown is right for you or if you have any questions call Sicklerville Smiles at 856.728.9200.
What is a Dental Bridge
Bridges are recommended for patients who are missing one or more teeth. The gaps from missing teeth can cause the remaining teeth to rotate or shift into the empty spaces.
Bridges are made up of two or more crowns with a false tooth in between.
The false tooth or teeth, called pontics, are made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. To apply the bridge, our doctors will numb the area where the bridge will be placed then we will prepare the supporting teeth for the bridge. Impressions of the prepared teeth will be taken in order to create a model of the mouth where the bridge will be. Similar to a crown, there will be a temporary bridge for the patient to use while the permanent bridge is made. The last step is cementing the finalized bridge to the neighboring teeth. Proper oral care and regular dental exams will help bridges be a long-term solution for years.
If you think a dental crown is right for you or if you have any questions contact Sicklerville Smiles at 856.728.9200.
