Specialized Treatment
Crown & Bridge
Each tooth, like a member of a team, helps the other teeth, and surrounding tissues to do their job. One missing Tooth can cause the position of other teeth to change ie. Can cause drifting of the adjacent teeth. The space created by the missing tooth can cause adjacent teeth to tilt and opposing teeth to more up/down so as to close the space thus creating gaps between your teeth, changing your bite and smile.
Shifting and drifting teeth could lead to changes in your chewing muscles, bones and joints, making the chewing difficult or painful. This can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. Eventually there is bone loss, the tooth becomes loose and falls out. This chain of events can be prevented by crowns and bridge treatment.
After clinical examination, your dentist may recommend a crown to protect or restore your tooth, or fixed bridge to restore your teeth or a fixed bridge to replace a missing tooth.
Materials which used may be used are as follows:
- Porcelain fused to metal [full ceramic]
- White metal.
- Combination of ceramic & metal [part ceramic]
- Metal free ceramic or All ceramic.
A crown (often called a cap) is an artificial cover that restores a decayed or damaged tooth to its original shape and size. It is used for protecting the surface of a teeth that is cracked or broken.
Indication for a CROWN are as follows:
- Change the shape of a tooth
- To correct a bite problem
- To correct a cosmetic problem
- To replace existing broken or poor fitting crowns.
- To protect teeth with large fillings
- To protect a tooth which has undergone root canal treatment.
A Fixed Bridge can replace one or more missing teeth. In this procedure, support is taken from one/more adjacent teeth. It is a worldwide used technique. It is a universally accepted technique because it is simple, painless, economical & requiring minimum sittings.
A fixed bridge serves the following functions
- Replaces missing teeth
- Restores normal function
- Restores normal bite in case of collapsed bite.
- Prevents over eruption of opposing teeth
- Prevents drift / tipping of adjacent teeth.
- Prevents gum pocket formation
- Prevents tooth decay
- prevents bone loss thus preventing periodontal disease.