Crowns, Bridges & Veneers

If a tooth has been significantly weakened by tooth decay, tooth breakage or by a traumatic bite pattern, a tooth can often be effectively reinforced against breakage by the placement of a crown. Crowns are constructed by a dental technician in an Australian laboratory. The crown is then cemented onto the tooth by your dentist. Crown appointments often involve a simple local anaesthetic to the relevant tooth. The placement of a crown usually involves two treatment appointments:

1. Preparing the Tooth for the Crown
The tooth is shaped ready for crowning, an impression of the tooth is taken, and a temporary crown is constructed to protect the tooth for the following two weeks while a dental technician constructs the crown.

2. Try-In and Cementing of the Crown
The second appointment involves gently removing the temporary crown and trying-in the crown that has been constructed by the dental technician. The height of the crown will sometimes need minor adjustments so that the crown can sit in harmony with your bite. If the crown fits well and looks good, your dentist will cement the crown onto the tooth using an appropriate dental adhesive material.

A crown can be seen as a specialised type of filling, but crowns are much stronger than regular dental filling materials and they offer much greater reinforcement for a tooth. Crowns can be constructed from various materials, many of which can look very natural in the mouth.

Bridges are usually used to fill the space above the gum line where a tooth is missing. A bridge is usually constructed by placing a crown on one or two of the teeth around the missing tooth, and attaching a prosthetic tooth to those surrounding crowns to replace the missing tooth. Bridges are also constructed by a dental technician. Alternatives to the placement of a bridge include dental implants and removable partial dentures. Having a bridge placed in your mouth requires the same two appointments as crown placement.

A veneer is a facing that can be placed on a tooth to improve the appearance of the tooth and to offer reinforcement to the tooth. Veneers are usually constructed in dental porcelain by a dental technician. Having a veneer placed in your mouth requires the same two appointments as crown placement. Optimal aesthetics are usually obtained by placing multiple veneers across the upper front teeth.