Crowns, Bridges, and Veneers
Crowns
What are Dental Crowns?
Crowns are tooth-shaped ‘caps’ that fit over all sides of a damaged tooth to protect, strengthen, and restore its appearance. We often use these restorations when tooth decay is too much for a regular filling or too damaged to be left unprotected.
Crowns can be made using several materials, including metal, porcelain, ceramics, or resin. Metallic crowns are the most durable and will last the longest; however, they do not match your smile. Porcelain or ceramic crowns can be colour-matched to blend into your teeth, making them a more natural-looking option. Resin is an affordable crown material but can wear down easier than other materials.
When discussing your treatment, the dentist will recommend the crown material best suited to your needs.
Getting a Dental Crown from The Bay Dental Practice
Dental crowns usually take two visits from start to finish. On your first visit, we clean and prepare the tooth, shaping it to fit your future crown. Once shaped, we take a digital scan or physical impressions of your mouth, which generates a precise image of your teeth.
We send these impressions off to the dental laboratory with instructions, where they create a natural-looking crown that fits the prepared tooth and the dimensions of the surrounding teeth. While we wait for your bespoke crown, our team will supply you with a temporary crown.
On your second visit, we place the crown, checking the fit, bite, and appearance before we cement it into place.
Crowns are Also for Dental Implants
These caps aren’t only for covering natural teeth; implants are the replacement tooth for a single dental implant. Getting a crown for a dental implant is similar to getting one to cover a natural tooth. The dental laboratory creates a personalised crown built to our specifications, so it fits the dental implant and the treatment area dimensions accurately.
Bridges
What are Dental Bridges?
Bridges are used when you have one or more missing teeth. A bridge is generally composed of a false tooth fused between crowns, which anchor onto neighbouring teeth to hold the bridge in place. These restorative appliances are cemented into place and are, therefore, not removable. Bridges are an excellent option if the teeth surrounding the gap are healthy enough to support the restoration.
Types of Bridges
There are a variety of bridges available, and the ones we recommend depend on your individual needs and preferences. There are four types of bridges available:
- Traditional fixed bridge. This bridge is made of an artificial tooth (or teeth) with a crown on both ends, which anchor to surrounding teeth
- Cantilever bridge. Similar to a traditional bridge, a cantilever bridge only has one crown and uses a single anchor tooth.
- Resin bonded bridge. This bridge uses two anchor points on either side of the artificial tooth; however, instead of dental crowns as anchors, the bridge attaches using a metal or porcelain framework on the back of neighbouring teeth.
- Implant-supported bridge. As the name suggests, the anchor points attach to dental implants instead of anchoring crowns on natural teeth. They do not require the use of adjacent teeth.
Getting a Bridge at The Bay Dental Practice
Once you advise which recommended treatment you would like, we will move forward with treatment.
Following an examination, we prepare any adjacent teeth, collect images of your mouth, and make a digital 3-D model of your teeth using our high-tech intraoral scanner. We send this information to the dental lab with specifications on colour, type of bridge, and other relevant details so they construct your natural-looking bridge with a virtually perfect fit. We will place a temporary bridge over your teeth until your permanent bridge is prepared.
When we receive your bespoke bridge, we will have you return to the practice, where we will test out your bridge’s fit, feel, and aesthetic before attaching it to your teeth.
Veneers
What are Dental Veneers?
Generally used in cosmetic dentistry, veneers are thin facings that protect or improve the appearance of the front teeth. Often, patients with minor imperfections use these thin shells to elevate their smile aesthetic by enhancing the look of the shape, size, or colour of their teeth. Veneers can be used to address issues of discolouration, cracks, chips, small gaps, and more.
At The Bay Dental Practice, we offer our patients composite or porcelain veneers — both of which come in various shades, so you end up with a brilliant, beautiful smile.
Composite Veneers
Composite veneers are made of a mix of plastic and ceramic material that we apply to the tooth in layers, creating the shape by hand. After applying each layer, we harden the composite using a special ultraviolet (UV) light.
These veneers can be applied in one visit. We will use a specially-formulated acid to roughen your tooth surface, giving the adhesive and composite a better application surface. Once the dentist applies and shapes the composite layers, we polish the surface as a finishing touch.
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are made in a laboratory. They take more time than composite veneers.
The process starts by preparing your teeth by removing some of the enamel, making porcelain veneers an irreversible treatment. This preparation is to ensure a seamless, natural-looking result. We take digital scan or physical impressions for the dental laboratory and send them off. In the meantime, we place temporary veneers to protect your teeth while we wait for your custom veneers.
Once we receive your permanent veneers, we will have you return to the practice so we can attach them to the front surface of your teeth. We remove the temporary veneers and then clean your teeth. Just like with composite veneers, we rough up the surface of your teeth using an acid, then use a strong dental adhesive to attach the veneer.
You will have an entirely new and gorgeous smile at the end of your second appointment.
We Make the Smile of Your Dreams a Reality
Crowns, bridges, and veneers all play an important part in restoring teeth and smiles. We have them made to our prescription by a local dental laboratory, and the results speak for themselves. At The Bay Dental, you can count on our dentists and technicians working together for the best result, so your result is one you want to show off.
