Porcelain Crowns and Bridges in Richmond, BC
Restore Missing and Damaged Teeth
What are Crowns?
Crowns are caps that surround the entire tooth, and are often recommended for the following circumstances:
- Teeth that have been heavily restored, meaning over 50% of the natural tooth is missing or replaced by a filling.
- Teeth that are breaking down. If we notice crack lines in a tooth, we may recommend crowns to protect the teeth and improve their longevity.
- Root canal treated molars and premolars. After a tooth has had a root canal, the nerve of the tooth is now missing. These teeth tend to chip and fracture more readily than normal healthy teeth. Crowns are recommended to protect these fragile teeth from splitting or breaking.
We offer three types of crowns at our clinic:
1. Porcelain: We use the most up-to-date technologies and advanced porcelains that give the crown a life-like quality unmatched by other types of crowns.
2. Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM): These are made with a metal substructure with porcelain stacked on top. These crowns look like natural teeth; however, if the patient’s gums recede over time, a black line at the bottom of the crown may be revealed. This line is usually just the metal showing through under the porcelain.
3. All Gold: The last type of crown we offer at our Richmond dentist clinic is the full gold crowns, which are usually suggest for the teeth that are not visible when you smile. The advantage of this type of crown is that gold crowns are very strong and never chip. They last a long time and require the least amount of tooth reduction. For us to make a crown, we first need to prepare the tooth by removing about 1 to 2 mm of tooth structure of the biting surface on the tooth.This way we can fit gold crowns onto short teeth and minimize the amount of tooth reduction.
The process of making a crown takes two appointments. In the first visit, the tooth is prepared, creating about a millimeter of space around the tooth. After the preparation, we take an impression or mould of the tooth to send to our dental laboratory, which will fabricate the crown. We will make a temporary crown covering the tooth while the lab makes the actual prosthetic. After two weeks, you will come in for a second appointment where we will gently remove the temporary and try on the final crown. If it fits well and looks good, we will cement it in place.
What are Bridges?
Bridges are a great alternative to replacing missing teeth. A bridge is a one-piece unit permanently cemented onto your teeth and does not come off. The most basic bridge consists of two crowned teeth on either side of a missing tooth connected by an artificial tooth, called a pontic.
For a bridge to be constructed, the two teeth on either side of the missing tooth must be prepared. We do this by creating about a millimeter of space around each of these teeth. We will also take an impression or mould of the prepared teeth. Afterward, we’ll fabricate a custom-made temporary bridge that will cover the prepared teeth and fill in the missing space. The second appointment comes two weeks later when we bring you in for the fitting of the bridge. If the bridge fits well and looks good, we would then cement the bridge in place.
Once you have the new bridge, it is of critical importance to maintain the bridge properly to ensure its longevity. One of the new techniques a bridge wearer must learn is to use a device called a floss threader. Here at the Urban Dentist, we will demonstrate its use on the date that your bridge is delivered. Using the floss threader, you are to thread a piece of floss underneath the ponticand floss the tooth in front and behind the pontic. Food and plaque will be trapped in those areas, and it is important to clean them daily.