John G. Plummer & Associates

Crowns, Bridges and Veneers

Crowns
When a tooth is fractured, has a large, old filling, or is severely damaged by decay, the placement of a crown (or cap) may be recommended. Crowns strengthen and protect the remaining tooth structure and can improve the appearance of your smile. Types of crowns include the full porcelain crown, the porcelain-fused-to-metal crown and the all-metal crown. The procedure is usually take place over two visits.

Visit 1:
The tooth is prepaired and an impression is taken. Your help will be required when taking the shade. A temporary tooth is cemented in place till your next visit. This may look and feel strange at first. Take care when eating. It is always best to avoid eating on the temporary tooth, if possible. This is usually a lengthy appointment.

Visit 2:
Your crown is cemented in place. It is important that you indicate if the new crown feels high (your teeth does not meet like they use to). A marked improvement on your temporary tooth will be noted. Allow at least one hour for the cement to set before eating. It is very important that you maintain excellent oral hygiene standards to ensure that your crown stays looking good and gums stay healthy.

Why crowns and not veneers?
Crowns require more tooth structure removal, hence, they cover more of the tooth than veneers. Crowns are stronger and are customarily indicated for teeth that have sustained significant structural damage, or to replace missing teeth. Crowns may be placed on natural teeth or dental implants. Veneers are generally recommended where the appearance of the tooth is the primary concern, not the structure of the tooth.

How should I take care of my crowns?
To prevent damaging or fracturing the crowns, avoid chewing hard foods, ice or other hard objects. You also want to avoid grinding your teeth. Besides visiting your dentist, and brushing daily, cleaning between your teeth is vital with crowns. Floss or interdental cleaners (specially shaped brushes and sticks) are important tools to remove plaque from the crown area where gum meets the tooth. Plaque in that area can cause dental decay and gum disease. We recommend that our patients who are having major restorative work done (implants, crowns, veneers, bridges) do a course of bleaching prior to having the work done. If the restorative work is matched to the yellow or grey teeth, there is no way to change the colour.


 

Bridges

When tooth loss occurs, your dentist may recommend the placement of a bridge. When one or more teeth are missing, the remaining teeth can drift out of position, which can lead to a change in the bite, food traps, the loss of additional teeth, decay and gum disease. A bridge is one or more replacement teeth anchored by one or more crowns on each side.
The procedure is usually take place over two visits.
 

What type of bridges are there?
Besides traditional bridges, another popular design is the resin bonded or "Maryland" bridge, primarily used for the front teeth. This is usually the most economical choice when the abutment teeth are healthy and don't contain large fillings. The pontic is fused to metal that can be bonded to the abutment teeth with a resin cement and hidden from view, reducing the amount of preparation on the adjacent teeth. A cantilever bridge may be used if there are teeth on only one side of the span. This involves anchoring the pontic to one side over one or more natural, adjacent teeth. If there are no adjacent teeth to act as anchors, your dentist may recommend an implant - a metal post that is surgically imbedded into the bone, and is capped with a crown as an abutment. In some cases where the span is large, your dentist may recommend an implant prosthesis.


Visit 1:
Impressions are taken for study models to design your bridge and construct your temporary bridge.

Visit 2:
The teeth are trimmed and an impression is taken. Your help will be required when taking the shade. A temporary bridge is cemented in place till your next visit. This may look and feel strange at first. Take care when eating. It is always best to avoid eating on the temporary tooth, if possible. This is usually a lengthy appointment.

Visit 3:
Your bridge is cemented in place. It is important that you indicate if the new bridge feels high (your teeth does not meet like they use to). A marked improvement on your temporary bridge will be noted. Allow at least one hour for the cement to set before eating. It is very important that you maintain excellent oral hygiene standards to ensure that your bridge stays looking good and gums stay healthy.

How do I care for a bridge?
With a bridge, it is more important than ever to brush, floss and see your dentist regularly. Your dentist may also recommend using floss threaders that help remove bacteria from hard to reach spaces between the bridge and adjacent teeth and gums. If you maintain optimal oral hygiene care, you can expect your fixed bridge to last as many as 8 years, and even longer.


 

Veneers

Veneers can be used to improve the look of discoloured or heavily filled teeth. This applies to the upper front teeth only on the NHS. A veneer is a thin piece of custom-made porcelain. This is bonded to the front areas of teeth to hide the unsightly areas. Veneers dramatically improve the appearance of teeth without having to take away too much tooth structure. When a veneer is too weak to be placed a stronger option may be a crown.
The procedure is usually take place over two visits.


Visit 1:
The tooth is trimmed and an impression is taken. Your help will be required when taking the shade. Avoid eating on the tooth till your next visit. This is usually a lengthy appointment.

Visit 2:
Your veneer is cemented in place. It is important that you indicate if the veneer feels high (your teeth does not meet like they use to). Allow at least one hour for the cement to set before eating. It is very important that you maintain excellent oral hygiene standards to ensure that your veneer stays looking good and gums stay healthy.