If some of your teeth are badly damaged, broken or missing, it can be difficult to speak or eat properly, and you might feel embarrassed about your smile. Dental crowns and bridges help to restore the shape, size, appearance and function of your teeth. Whether a single tooth, or a full mouth restoration, crowns and bridges can dramatically improve the aesthetic look of your smile. Because we only use dental laboratories local to the Gold Coast, crowns and bridges by our Boctor Dental Smilecentre Dentists are ensured to be the highest quality and provide the best possible result.
What Are Crowns?
Sometimes an accident, weak filling or decay may cause a large piece of your tooth to break off or get damaged, even thoug
h its root is still healthy. In such a case, it’s best to save the natural tooth. This can be done using a crown. A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap, which is placed over the entire visible part of a tooth, to restore its strength, and improve its appearance. A crown is created in a Gold Coast dental laboratory, from models that your Dentist makes with impressions. Because of this, crowns fit your mouth perfectly, replicating the size, shape and position of your damaged teeth. The most common types of materials for making crowns include porcelain, gold, metallic alloys, ceramic and acrylic. As mentioned above, at Boctor Dental Smilecentre we only use Gold Coast dental laboratories to create our crowns. This ensures the highest quality and best possible fit for your mouth. Many dentists opt to use cheaper dental laboratories in China or Hong Kong, resulting in higher profit margins, but inferior products. However we feel there is no compromise for quality, so you can be assured that your crown with us will achieve the best results.
When Do You Need Crowns?
A dental crown may be needed in many situations. These include to protect a weak tooth from breaking, fracturing or chipping further. Crowns are also used to support and cover a tooth with a large filling, when there’s not much tooth remaining. Crowns are used to restore a cracked or fractured tooth, or to cover a severely discoloured or poorly shaped tooth. Because root canal treated teeth become brittle, you will usually need a crown to protect those teeth. You will need a crown to hold a bridge in place, or to cover a dental implant. 
What is the Procedure Involved in Getting a Crown?
It takes around 2-3 visits to your Dentist to get a permanent crown. During the first visit, your Dentist will examine the root of the tooth receiving the crown, as well as the surrounding bone. If there’s risk of an injury, or you suffer from extensive decay, a root canal treatment is likely to be performed first. This is because once the crown is on, the natural tooth cannot be accessed without drilling through (and weakening) the crown. If there’s any chance of the tooth becoming painful, it is better to remove the nerve of the tooth before the crown is done. Find out more about Root Canal Procedures for removing the nerve of a tooth. Once your Dentist has approved your tooth for a crown, the procedure will begin with a Crown Preparation appointment. Before the process begins, the tooth and gum tissue surrounding it will be numbed with anaesthetic. Next, yourDentist will file down the tooth along the sides and chewing surfaces to make room for the crown. Then, they will use a paste to make impressions of the tooth receiving the crown. The impressions are then sent to a Gold Coast local dental laboratory, where a crown is custom-made to fit you perfectly. Sometimes your Dentist will want you to visit the dental laboratory to get an accurate colour match with the technician who will be creating your crown, so it exactly matches the colour of your other teeth. Your Dentist will make a temporary crown to protect and cover your prepared tooth, as your crown is still being made. Your next visit will be for crown cementation. Your Dentist will remove your temporary crown and will then check the colour and fit of the permanent crown. If everything is the way it should be, your new crown will be permanently cemented in place. When the procedure is done, you’ll walk out with stronger and better-looking teeth, and a great smile.
What Are Bridges?
The gap caused by one or more missing teeth isn’t just unsightly – it may make chewing and talking difficult, and cause the remaining teeth to shift into th e empty space causing a bad bite. As its name implies, a bridge literally bridges the space where you missing teeth used to be. It’s attached to the natural teeth adjacent to the empty space, to replace your missing teeth and restore your bite and smile.
When Do You Need Bridges?
Your Dentist may recommend a dental bridge to fill the gap left by missing teeth and to restore your ability to speak and chew properly. A bridge may be necessary to restore your smile or to prevent the remaining teeth from shifting out of position. Bridges are also useful to alleviate stress on your remaining teeth by properly distributing forces in your bite.
What is Involved in Getting a Dental Bridge?
Just like in crowns, getting a dental bridge requires two or more visits to your dentist. A bridge is essentially crowning two (or more) of your teeth, with dummy porcelain crowns attached to the created bridge. During your first visit, your Dentist will re-contour the two adjacent teeth by removing part of the enamel to create room for a crown to be put over them. Next, impressions of the teeth are made, and sent to the lab. These serve as models from which the bridge will be made. In addition, your Dentist will make a temporary crowns for you, as the permanent bridge is being made. During the second visit, the temporary bridge will be removed, and the new bridge checked, adjusted and attached to achieve a proper fit. At the end of the procedure, you’ll be given instructions on how to care for your new permanent bridge. If you have missing or severely damaged teeth, and believe you can benefit from dental crowns and bridges, speak with your Dentist at Boctor Dental Smilecentre to determine the right treatment plan for you based on your dental needs, desired outcomes and budget. Call us today to book an appointment regarding crowns or bridges at one of our Gold Coast locations:
Bundall (07) 5592 1999
Currumbin (07) 5598 5666
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