Fixed

Prosthetics

A dental crown or cap is a prosthetic restoration that covers the underlying tooth.

It is usually placed on a root canal-treated tooth or on a tooth that has a large filling. Such a tooth is prone to fractures and the crown’s main purpose is to protect it.

Also, a dental crown is used when there is no sufficient dental substance to place a filling on the tooth and the need for support is really important.

It is also necessary to use a crown when a bridge is to be built and an adjacent tooth can not support it adequately by itself.

Of course, the crowns contribute to the aesthetic restoration of a tooth.

Before the crown is placed, the tooth is prepared with a high speed rotary instrument so that the crown can fit accurately into the underlying tooth. If there is an aesthetic or functional need, a provisional-temporary crown is made directly by the dentist using special synthetic material.

Crowns can be made of full-ceramic (zirconium), metal-fused-ceramic (porcelain) and metal-acrylic. Depending on the quality of the restoration material, the value of each crown varies.

Dental Bridge

A dental bridge is a fixed dental restoration designed to replace one or more missing teeth.

For its placement, the teeth located on either side of the missing tooth are used as abutments.

These adjacent teeth are prepared with a high speed rotary instrument – as in the case of a dental crown – to fit the restoration on top of them. In the middle there is the artificial tooth or the artificial teeth that will fill the gap of the missing tooth.

After preparing the teeth, the dentist takes an impression of the area and sends it to the dental technician, in order for the construction to proceed. At the same time, the dentist constucts a temporary bridge made of special synthetic material in order to restore the area’s aesthetics and function.

The dental bridge is a very important prosthetic restoration that effectively protects the patient’s maxillofacial health and balance during masticantion procedures and prevents serious future problems with possibly higher rehabilitation costs.

When a tooth is lost, adjacent teeth begin to move towards the gap, and their antagonists (above or below) overerrupt in order to achieve new contacts. At the same time, the forces exerted on them during mastication become much greater (overload). The overall result is that the missing tooth will cause the future loss of neighboring teeth.

A dental bridge is made of various materials (porcelain, ceramics, metal alloys) and its cost varies according to the material to be used.

The lifespan of a bridge depends on consistent compliance with the rules of oral hygiene.

A bridge may suffer damage (fractures, periodontal damage, etc.) if the dentist’s instructions are not followed carefully and the patient is not willing to take care of his or her oral hygiene and is not monitored regularly by the dentist.