Crowns

Crowns are usually needed if you have a damaged or weakened tooth that can’t be fixed with a filling. Sometimes people have crowns for cosmetic reasons, but they’re mainly due to a lack of remaining tooth structure.

Most commonly, this is because a tooth has had a large filling, sustained a fracture or has become weaker due to root canal treatment.

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap that’s placed over your tooth. It’s a permanent solution, and once it’s fixed in place, a crown should look, feel and function just like any other tooth. They are usually made from a strong ceramic or can be made from gold alloy.

Bridges

A dental bridge essentially bridges a gap in your mouth. It involves replacing a missing tooth with a false tooth, which is bonded to the natural teeth on either side of the gap. There are two main types of dental bridges. The most common type consists of two crowns, made of porcelain or metal, which are permanently bonded to your natural teeth on either side of the space, with the false tooth (or teeth) in the middle.

If the teeth on either side of your missing teeth are strong and healthy, you may be able to have an adhesive bridge. An adhesive bridge is a false tooth with ‘wings’ on either side of it. These wings are bonded to the inner surfaces of the supporting teeth. This avoids the need to prepare the neighbouring teeth for full coverage crowns.