Cosmetic Dentistry Crowns and Bridges
Crowns and Bridges Although there are several types of crowns, porcelain or tooth colored are the most popular as they most closely resemble our natural teeth. Crowns are for the restoration of teeth using materials that are fabricated by our state of the art Lab Technicians. A crown is used to cap or completely cover a tooth. This treatment option is for a patient that desires to have his or her smile aesthetically improved but when partial coverage (i.e. a veneer) is not an option for a number of reasons. Similarly, a bruxer (i.e. someone who grinds his or her teeth) may produce enough force to repeatedly dislodge or irreversibly abrade any veneer. In such a case, full coverage crowns can alter the size, shape or shade of a patient's teeth while protecting against failure of the restoration
Makeover shows such as Extreme Makeover make extensive use of crowns. Porcelain crowns are made to match the shape, size, and color or your teeth giving you a natural, long-lasting beautiful smile. This treatment will result in a beautiful Smile by Design! Dr. Emerson can complete a single or multiple tooth crown treatment with only two visits to our office.
In a situation where there is not enough remaining solid tooth structure after decay and fragile tooth structure is removed, or the tooth has fractured and is now missing important architectural reinforcements, the tooth might very well require crown treatment. Restorations that fall into this category include the various types of crowns like porcelain or gold. Porcelain crowns are increasingly being substituted in place of gold crowns for aesthetic and structural reasons. In a recent study, only 1.7% of the ceramic crowns needed to be replaced after 2 years, with 3.7% showing occlusal chipping without need of replacement.
When teeth undergo endodontic treatment, or root canal therapy, they are devitalized when the nerve and blood supply are cut off and the space which they previously filled, known as the "pulp chamber" and "root canal", are thoroughly cleansed and filled with various materials to prevent future invasion by bacteria. Although there may very well be enough tooth structure remaining after root canal therapy, an intracoronal restoration, this is not suggested for most teeth. The vitality of a tooth is remarkable in it's ability to provide the tooth with the strength and durability it needs to function in mastication. The living tooth structure is surprisingly resilient and can sustain considerable abuse without fracturing. Consequently, after root canal therapy is performed, a tooth becomes extremely brittle and is significantly weaker than its vital neighbors.
