Restorative Dentistry
Crowns & Bridges
Full-coverage restorations, planned from the bite rather than from the photograph.
What it is
A crown is what you reach for when there is not enough tooth left to hold a filling. A bridge is what you reach for when a gap needs closing and an implant is not the right answer.
Modern crowns are scanned rather than impressed and milled from ceramic that is bonded to what remains of the tooth, so less of it has to be cut away than the old metal-backed versions demanded. We choose the material from the forces the tooth will take — a molar in a heavy bite and an upper front tooth are not the same problem.
A bridge uses the teeth either side to carry a replacement. It is quicker than an implant and needs no surgery, but it commits those neighbouring teeth to the job permanently. Where they are already heavily filled that is a fair trade; where they are pristine, we will usually argue for the implant.
Included
What this
involves
Everything below is carried out here, by the clinician who planned it. Anything not on this list is either not needed or will be discussed with you before it is booked.
- Digital scanning, no impression trays
- All-ceramic and zirconia crowns
- Conventional and adhesive bridges
- Material chosen from your bite forces
- Shade matched to neighbouring teeth
- Temporaries you can eat and smile in
Most restorative conversations start somewhere simple: wanting to eat properly again without thinking about it.
Common questions
Good To Know
- Crown or bridge or implant?
- A crown restores a tooth you still have. Between a bridge and an implant, the deciding factors are the health of the neighbouring teeth, the bone available and how long you need it to last. We will set out both in writing.
- How long will a crown last?
- Ten to twenty years is typical, and the commonest reason for replacement is decay at the margin rather than the crown itself failing — which makes hygiene the real determinant.
- Will it look obviously false?
- It should not. Shade is matched in natural light against the teeth either side, and we will happily remake a crown whose colour is not right before it is cemented.
More in this area
Restorative Dentistry
Considering crowns & bridges?
Come in for a consultation. We will examine, explain and give you a written plan with a price against every item — then you decide, in your own time.