A Dental crown is a custom engineered tooth that fits over your existing tooth structure, protecting against natural erosion and decay while also restoring the look and strength of your tooth.
Crowns used in cosmetic dentistry are suited to match your natural tooth colour and shape, create facial balance, and even support your bone structure for a beautiful end result.
At Sierra, we choose ceramic products with no metal substructure to fabricate your crowns. This ensures that there will be no grey lines of metal showing when you smile.
The ceramic products are also biocompatible, can help to create better tissue health and no risk of a metal (nickel) allergy. Our patients find these crowns to be strong, durable and remarkably natural-looking.
What are dental crowns and how do they work?
A dental crown is a shell of material that is cemented onto a damaged tooth or implant, capping it entirely to provide protection, support, and aesthetics.
You may require a crown to be fitted if you need to:
Replace a large filling when most of the tooth has decayed away
Restore a broken or fractured tooth
Protect a weak tooth from damage
Attach a bridge
Cover a dental implant
Cover a discoloured or poorly shaped tooth
Cover a tooth that has had root canal treatment
Crowns can be made from porcelain or zirconia that closely matches the colour of your natural teeth. Alternatively, they can be made from gold and metal alloy. This is sometimes preferred for the back teeth because of its extra strength and durability.
Note that a crown can only be fitted and removed by a qualified dentist.
What are dental bridges and how do they work?
Bridges are often confused with crowns. They may be required if you are missing a tooth.
The mouth does not like the imbalances caused by missing teeth and gaps. Over time, gum disease may result and the remaining teeth may shift into the empty spaces, leading to a “bad bite”.
Bridges can help alleviate these risks by replacing missing teeth. They usually consist of one or more artificial teeth and two crowns as a single-piece device.
The bridge is cemented to the adjacent teeth (abutments) or to the implants that surround the space, depending on the health of the adjacent teeth. The abutments anchor the bridge, which spans the space where the teeth are missing.
Most commonly, zirconia is used in bridges as it can be matched to the natural colour of your teeth.
People who have bridges fitted often benefit from a better appearance when they smile, a better eating experience, an improved bite, an improved ability to speak clearly, and less of a droop in the face or cheeks.
How are crowns made?
To have a crown made and fitted will require at least two visits to the dentist.
The tooth must first be reduced in size so that the crown can be placed over it properly. Your dentist will then need to take an impression or digital impression to show exactly the spaces involved and the surrounding teeth.
Your dentist will also have to check the shade of your teeth so that the porcelain used for the crown (assuming that it is porcelain) can be colour-matched accurately.
A model for the crown can be made in the lab. During this time, you will wear a temporary crown. This will be removed and the permanent one cemented in place, usually on the second visit one to two weeks later.
Crown Inlays and Onlays
Dental inlays and onlays are lab-made restorations used to repair cracked or fractured teeth or teeth with mild to moderate decay. You can think of them as a middle ground between a filling and a crown.
Ideal candidates for inlay or onlay work typically have more decay or damage in the tooth structure to be effectively treated using a filling material but have enough healthy tooth structure remaining to not yet need a crown.
Inlays and onlays help to significantly strengthen teeth. They are more durable and last longer than fillings.
Even though they are more expensive than filling, patients often choose them because they prolong tooth life and often prevent the need for more dental treatment in the future.
Fixed Dental Bridge Procedure in Calgary
If you lose a tooth or have one that is severely damaged and not stable enough to hold a crown on its own you may be a candidate for a dental bridge.
Filling the gap from a missing tooth is important for your health, comfort, and confidence.
One common solution is a traditional fixed bridge. For this procedure, the adjacent teeth are crowned and used to support a false tooth called a pontic. The pontic brings stability back to your smile and discourages the adjacent teeth from moving into the gap.
By keeping your bite stable, the bridge will help you eat and speak more comfortably and confidently.
For those who are interested in a more permanent tooth replacement, Sierra Dental is also proud to offer you dental implants.
Contact Us
Do you need dental services? Don’t hesitate to contact our Calgary dentists today. Our Signal Hill dental clinic offers a wide range of dental proceedures including emergency dental services. We are accepting new patients and are excited to welcome you to our clinic.
EVENING & WEEKEND APPOINTMENTS
We understand that you are busy and don’t always have time to visit a dentist for a routine checkup in the middle of your Monday. That’s why we offer extended hours from 7:00 AM to 8:30 PM Monday through Thursday.
We are also open all throughout the weekend. That’s right, we’re open every day of the week.
DIRECT BILLING TO INSURANCE PLANS
To support our clients, we offer direct billing, predeterminations of treatments, and financial arrangements to all our patients to ensure smooth and easy payment transactions.
PAYMENT PLANS & FINANCING AVAILABLE
We understand that dental services can be an unexpected expense. That’s why we offer flexible payment plans and options to suit our patients’ needs. Speak with one of our dental administrators to learn more.
FREE PARKING
At Sierra Dental, you will never struggle to find parking. Our clinics offer convenient parking options that are free of charge to our patients. It’s one more way we work to put a smile on your face.
As opposed to implant work, which can require a number of treatments, dental bridges can be applied to the patient’s teeth in two to three visits. This helps simplify the treatment process, and can sometimes reduce the overall cost and time of the procedure.
Dental implants might be a more expensive form of treatment than bridges, but implants can be used to replace several missing teeth. Those with significant bone damage, however, might consider bridge work for their treatment.
By running through these options with your dental health professional, you can come to a mutual decision on which is the best choice for your future oral health requirements!
Crowns are also known as “caps” and restore function and appearance to damaged teeth. Like bonding, crowns are most commonly used to fix cracked or chipped teeth, but they can also be used to restore the tooth when large fillings are present.
A crown is custom-designed, usually made of porcelain, ceramic, or gold. It fits over the damaged tooth to restore and protect your natural tooth. The procedure takes longer than bonding as you may need 2 visits. One to prepare and take a mould of the tooth and a second to place the finished crown.
When a root canal treatment is performed, the dentist creates an access hole through the top of the tooth to ensure the inner pulp can be expertly removed. This process helps to remove any leftover nerve tissue but also hollows out the tooth structure. The hollow tooth structure then becomes more susceptible to fractures over time.
By placing a crown on the tooth, the dentist can tie the cusps together and ensure the tooth is much less likely to fracture during day-to-day activities.
Crowns Can Help To Prevent the Failure of the Root Canal
Crowns can be used to help prevent the failure of the root canal by stopping contaminants from entering the tooth initially, allowing the restoration time to heal. A qualified dentist working with a dental crown can help ensure root canal success and ensure the tooth is healed for the long-term.
A broken crown qualifies as a dental emergency, so the first thing you should do after noticing something is wrong is immediately call your dentist. Aside from potentially being painful, the risk of developing a bacterial infection goes up the longer you wait to have the crown repaired.
To have a dental bridge made, the procedure you follow will depend on the health of the two teeth on each side of the missing tooth.
With healthy adjacent teeth, your dentist will remove enough tooth structure to allow for the proper thickness of the future bridge.
If the teeth are not healthy enough, they may not be strong enough to support a bridge and you may need dental implants fitted to act as an anchor before the bridge is fabricated.
These implants are made of titanium and inserted into the jaw, replacing the damaged root of the natural tooth.
Once the anchors for the bridge has been prepared, your dentist will:
Make a model of your teeth by taking molds or a digital impression that will allow a custom bridge to be made
Place a temporary bridge for protection of the natural teeth
Replace the temporary bridge with the custom-made permanent one on the next visit
Cement the bridge to the adjacent teeth or attach them to your dental implants on each side of the missing tooth
You can discuss with your dentist the type of bridge that you require. Factors to consider include the location of the missing tooth and the general condition of your teeth and gums, as well as your preference for appearance and your budget.
The main two types of bridges are traditional bridges (if the teeth on either side are healthy) and dental implant bridges, outlined above.
More rarely, resin-bonded bridges may be used if the missing teeth are in the front of the mouth. Cantilever bridges may be an option if there is a healthy tooth on one side of the missing tooth but not on the other.
To have a dental crown fitted, your dentist will generally take you through the following steps:
First visit:
An impression of your existing tooth will be made to allow for temporary crown fabrication
A topical gel will be placed on your gums to allow for more comfortable freezing with local anesthetic.
Tooth structure of the tooth requires the crown will be removed to allow for adequate thickness of the future crown.
An impression or digital scan of this tooth and surrounding teeth is taken.
You will be fitted with a temporary crown, which will fit over the prepared tooth until your permanent crown is ready.
Restorative material is used to custom-make the crown in a lab
Second visit:
Typically freezing is not required for this visit
Your temporary crown will be removed
The tooth will be cleaned up
Your dentist will check the new crown for shape, colour, and bite and if everything fits well the permanent crown will be cemented
Sometimes prior to cementation an x-ray of the new crown on the tooth will be taken to verify the fit If you need other teeth treated or gum/root canal treatment, you may require more than two visits to your dentist
Sometimes when a new crown or bridge is cemented a bite adjustment may be required. It is common for people with bridges to need a period of adjustment once it has been fitted.
You will need to get used to a new feeling when you bite but most people adjust well to the new device and the long-term benefits usually far outweigh any initial discomfort or swelling.
Sometimes there can be sensitivity after a crown or bridge is inserted. Your dentist will advise you how long this transition period may be. If the discomfort continues, have your dentist check it as an adjustment may be required.
The greater the care you provide for teeth in general, the greater the chance of your crown or bridge lasting. With the proper care, they can last over a decade.
Following are some basic tips that will protect not only your crown or bridge but your general oral hygiene:
Brush twice daily for two minutes with an electric toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste
Use an antiseptic mouth rinse
Floss daily
Eat high-fibre fruits and vegetables and avoid sugary and sticky foods
Avoid smoking
Consider using a special brush to clean effectively under a bridge
If indicated by your dentist wear your dental night guard to help prevent chipping of your crown or bridge
A Dental crown is a custom engineered tooth that fits over your existing tooth structure, protecting against natural erosion and decay while also restoring the look and strength of your tooth.
