Porcelain Crowns
Crowns are used for a number of purposes, including:
- Cover damaged or unattractive teeth
- Support a large filling where there isn’t enough tooth remaining
- Attach a bridge
- Protect weak teeth
- To restore an attractive smile
- Replace missing teeth
The Hospital Group uses high quality porcelain crowns, which blend in with your own teeth and do not leave a black line at the gum like conventional crowns, thereby giving a more attractive and natural smile.
The porcelain used is the same as that used for porcelain veneers which is very strong and durable and gives an excellent appearance.
Fitting Porcelain Crowns
Crowns can be fitted in 2 ways:
- Over existing teeth provided the root is healthy (as shown in the picture above)
- Fixed with a dental implant as shown below
The porcelain used is the same as that used for veneers so they are strong and look just as natural.
A variety of colour options is available to blend in with your natural teeth, taking into account any whitening or veneers that you may also be planning to have.
Porcelain crowns cover all surfaces of the tooth and are therefore used for broken or fractured teeth which cannot be repaired using fillings or veneers.
Crowns are also used to support a large filling when there isn’t enough of the tooth remaining, attach a bridge, protect weak teeth from fracturing, restore fractured teeth, or cover badly shaped or discoloured teeth. Sometimes an underlying metal shell is used under the porcelain if additional strength is needed.
Fitting a crown requires at least two appointments - one for preparation and impressions, where a temporary crown will usually be fitted, and a second appointment for fitting the final crown.
Bridges
"Bridges" are similar to crowns, but instead of just one tooth, a bridge consists of a number of porcelain crown "teeth" used to fill larger gaps and spaces. More information on bridges.
