Crowns – are tooth-shaped caps placed over teeth to restore their shape, size, strength, and to improve their appearance. Crowns are utilized when decay and/or damage to a tooth is so extensive it cannot be properly restored with fillings or inlays/onlays.

They are necessary for a number of reasons:

1.  To protect weak teeth from breaking or holding together parts of cracked teeth.
2.  Restoring already broken teeth or teeth that have been severely worn down.
3. To hold a dental bridge in place.
4. To cover misshapen or severely discolored teeth.
5. To cover dental implants.

Crowns are fabricated from a number of materials: metal (gold alloy, palladium, base alloys such as nickel or chromium),porcelain fused to metal, all ceramic or porcelain, all resin, and acrylic. Each material has advantages and disadvantages.
It takes two appointments to fabricate a crown. In the first appointment all decay is removed from the tooth and the tooth is prepared for the crown. Impressions of the tooth are then taken. At the second visit,the crown is delivered and cemented.

Bridges

Are also known as fixed partial dentures. They serve to bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth. For example, if a patient presented to our clinic with an upper first molar missing, a bridge could be created from the second molar to the second premolar thereby filling in the gap created by the missing first molar.

A bridge is composed of two crowns placed on the teeth on either side of the gap and false tooth/teeth (also a crown) in between. The two teeth on either side of the gap are the anchors (or abutments) of the bridge. Thus, how long a bridge lasts largely depends on the health of the abutment teeth.

Bridges have a number of advantages:
1. They can help restore your smile and ability to properly chew and speak.
2. Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth,
3. Prevents remaining teeth from drifting out of position.
4. The bridge is much more esthetic and is cemented into your mouth.
5. has significantly better retention and comfort without the hassle of constant removal and insertion.

Bridges are fabricated from the same materials that crowns are: metal, porcelain fused to metal,all ceramic or porcelain, all resin, and acrylic.
Fabrication and delivery of a bridge generally takes two, possibly three, appointments. In the first appointment, the abutment teeth are prepared and impressions are taken. A temporary bridge is also created and cemented into the patient’s mouth until they receive the permanent bridge. At the second visit, the temporary bridge is removed and the final bridge is placed. If the patient likes the outcome and the dentist is satisfied with the function and esthetics the bridge is cemented.

Complete Dentures

Prosthetic devices used to replace missing teeth and are supported by soft and hard tissues of the mouth. They are removable.

For people who are missing all their teeth dentures have a number of advantages:
1. They can give patients a smile again.
2. Patients who previously were missing teeth can now chew their food.
3. They allow patients to speak properly, and enhance esthetics.

A disadvantage of conventional dentures is that since they are removable they rely on a patient’s hard and soft tissues for retention. In certain situations retention is not as strong as a person would prefer which could lead to some discomfort. However, our clinic also fabricates implant-retained overdentures. 

Essentially, a number of dental implants are surgically placed in a patient’s mouth (either by an oral surgeon or periodontist), a certain period of time is given to heal, mostly probably 6-8 weeks and custom dentures are then fitted onto the implants for significantly increased retention. These dentures can still be removed. Denture fabrication typically takes 3-4 appointments.

The first appointment is used to determine whether dentures would be suitable, and impressions and a bite registration are taken. At the second visit a preliminary denture model is tried in the patient’s mouth to ensure proper function, speech, esthetics, and bite. Once everything is adjusted to the patient’s and dentist’s satisfaction, the dentures are sent to a dental laboratory. Final dentures are typically delivered by the third visit. Our clinic also fabricates a number of variations of the conventional denture.

Partial Dentures

These are an alternative form of treatment for people that cannot have a bridge for any