Crowns and Bridges

A crown is either a restoration that encompasses all surfaces of your tooth is designed to bind the remaining tooth structure together or a full restoration (new tooth). A crown can be used to replace any missing teeth, or to restore any teeth which are severely cracked or damaged.

The treatment for a crown usually involves two appointments. The first appointment is normally quite long. Any old fillings in the tooth are replaced at this appointment, and then the tooth is reshaped to a particular design, depending on the type of crown being fitted. A silicon rubber impression is taken of the prepared tooth, and then a temporary crown is fabricated and cemented with temporary cement.

At the second appointment the temporary crown is removed and the final crown tried in for fit, appearance and occlusion (fitting into the bite). Finally, it is cemented into place.

With leading technology at our fingertips our CEREC machine can manufacture porcelain crowns on site, after a digital mock-up has been expertly designed by your dentist. The CEREC machine represents the height of dental technology and accuracy on restoration manufacture.

What are crowns made of?

All porcelain bonded

These are the most natural looking crowns as they have translucence and can be specially tailored to suit your natural tooth colour..

They are used in all areas of the mouth, but particularly on the front teeth.

Porcelain fused to precious metal

These are the most common materials used in crowns for back teeth. They are tooth coloured, with a substructure of gold alloy for strength.

Although aesthetic, they are somewhat opaque as this is not a problem with back teeth.

Gold alloy

Gold alloy is primarily employed for people with short clinical crowns as there is limited room for the restoration and less tooth preparation is required. Gold crowns are commonly used on the back molars where there is more wear of the dentition. However depending on the severity of any wear, treatment may be more complex as more teeth require restoration to rebuild the bite.

Although crowns are a highly effective method of tooth restoration, as caring and dedicated practitioners, we feel it is important to mention these possible problems:

Porcelain is a brittle material and it can fracture in function. Normally it can be repaired in the mouth, but occasionally the crown may need to be redone. Again, this has no reflection on our standard of work. However, a reduced fee would normally be negotiated if it needed to be redone.
Over a considerable period of time the gums can recede around crowns for different reasons. If this does occur the margin where the crown meets the tooth may show as a dark line near the gum. If this is a particular problem, then the crown may require veneering with new porcelain or even redone.
Crowns retained by posts can dislodge. In this case they can normally be re-cemented into place.
Teeth with posts cemented into their roots are more prone to root fracture. If this occurs the tooth usually needs to be removed and the tooth would have to be replaced with an implant, a bridge or a small partial denture.
Thorough hygiene routine and regular maintenance check-ups are essential to maintain your crowns for longer as teeth can decay around the crowns under a poor oral care routine and diet.

Bridges

A bridge refers to a dental technique that is frequently utilised in conjunction with crowns to secure their position to provide a seamless, natural looking restorative technique to your smile. Bridges are employed on either side of a single crown/s. However it is important to mention that in our experienced, professional opinion we feel that implants are often a more effective treatment option than bridges, as they do not involve, and place any strain on the surrounding teeth.

If you are suffering from any damaged teeth, have any dentures that you want updates or any tooth loss contact our caring team for further information or to arrange a consultation and discuss crown restoration treatment.

Info Evenings

At Prime Dental our dedication and care extends beyond your treatment. With a desire to keep you informed and your smile healthy, we host regular info evenings to outline changes to our practice, dentistry and treatment advances and more. They are an educational, informative and fun opportunity to chat and mingle with like minded people.

Patient Referral Reward

We love knowing so many of our patients recommend our services to family, friends and colleagues. We appreciate this and like to say thanks with a small reward.

Corporate Dental Program

Prime Dental along with DENTAL CARE NETWORK ™ is offering the Corporate Dental Program, providing you with a complimentary $100 service voucher towards your dental treatment if you are an employee of one of our partnered corporate programs.

New Patient Offer

Welcoming new patients to our practice with this exclusive New Patient Offer.

Access for the Disabled

disabled access Access for the Disabled is available via the rear entrance. There is a door bell at the base of the ramp to alert staff to your arrival.