Crown and Bridges

Braces, also known as artificial crowns, are made of hard materials such as ceramics, enamel or metal alloys and cover the surface of the teeth to protect fragile teeth. Each artificial crown is custom-made to fit the patient's teeth so that it blends perfectly with the tooth.

When is a dental crown needed?

When a tooth is accidentally damaged, the dentist will use a dental crown to improve the appearance, shape or arrangement of the tooth so that it looks like normal teeth. If a patient has undergone root canal treatment (root canal treatment), depending on the situation, an artificial crown may be needed to fix and protect the tooth, allowing the patient to regain the ability to chew and eat. In addition, if the patient needs dental bridge treatment, the dentist will also consider placing crowns on other teeth to enhance and consolidate the supporting capacity of the teeth.

Which material is better for making dental crowns?

Metal Alloy Crown

It is made of non-precious metal alloys, such as nickel, chromium, etc., and then covered with a layer of white porcelain. The price is more affordable, but the crown is too thick and requires grinding the teeth to install it, and the white porcelain is easy to wear away over time, eventually revealing the metal surface.

Full Zirconium Crown

Made of zirconia porcelain blocks, it can be made very thin and does not require a lot of grinding of teeth during installation. It also has strong biting force, allowing patients to chew and eat as usual. However, due to its opaque nature, the color looks dead white and unnatural, and the charge is higher than that of metal alloys.

Full Ceramic Crown

The most commonly used dental crown in modern times has the same hardness as tooth enamel, and its appearance is bright and white. It is the most natural and is not easy to stain and cause allergies. It is the crown closest to real teeth. The only disadvantage is that it is more expensive.

What is a dental bridge?

A dental bridge is used to fill one or more missing teeth. It basically consists of two dental crowns and a denture. Therefore, there is a saying "if one is missing, get three dentures". Two dental crowns will be placed on healthy teeth, and a false tooth will be placed between the crowns to fill the missing tooth. After installation, the front and back crowns support the dental bridge like a bridge, improving the appearance while allowing the dentures to function normally.

Three Types of Dental Bridges

-Traditional Dental Bridge

Crowns are used to fix the front and rear teeth, and dentures are used in the missing tooth area in the middle. Materials generally use ceramic or metal-fired porcelain.

-Cantilever Dental Bridge

If the patient’s front and back teeth in the edentulous area are not healthy, they are not suitable for bridge piers. Dentists may consider using a cantilever bridge, using one tooth as a cantilever to fix the bridge, but this method has poor bite force.

-Maryland Dental Bridge

Zirconia or metal-fired porcelain teeth are used, and special adhesives are used to fix the teeth on both sides of the missing tooth. This method removes less tooth substance and can retain the original healthy tooth substance, but it does not use a hard crown, so the support and biting force are weak.

When is a dental bridge used?

If patients are unable to obtain dental implants or use removable dentures, but want to fill in missing teeth, they may consider using a dental bridge. However, it is difficult to clean between teeth with dental bridges. Patients need to diligently use dental floss and mouthwash to prevent the accumulation of food debris, which may cause problems for healthy teeth.