Crowns and Bridges

Placing dental crowns is one of the most commonly performed procedures in our office. We have done many bridges over the years; however, we are now doing fewer and fewer of them. Implants tend to have much greater longevity than bridges.

We have an excellent success rate with bridges, but we have seen many failed ones, which were done by other dentists. Many do not seem to understand the biomechanics and engineering of a bridge that is necessary to keep it in place. Impeccable bite function is vital to minimizing the forces that could dislodge a bridge. The same is true of dental crowns.

In the past, most crowns were metal. They are less common today, but there is still some call for metal crowns in the back of the mouth where there isn't much room. Even those are frequently being replaced with Zirconia, which is tooth-colored, and extremely strong.

Many of the failed crowns we see happened because the dentist did not know how to prepare and design the underlying tooth. Another common problem with crowns is that they often don't fit the bite correctly. If the crown is too high in the bite, the treated tooth may become sensitive or painful, and end up needing a root canal. We can minimize that risk by making sure the crown fits correctly.

In the past, most white crowns had a metal substructure, similar to a porcelain-covered thimble. As the gums receded, the metal rim became visible, creating a dark line at the base of the crown. Naturally, patients wanted their crowns to look nice forever, but that is virtually impossible with a metal base. Today, we have much better dental materials, which are beautiful and durable. The crowns we use here at East Wichita Dentist have no metal in them.

We make most crowns right here in our office using CEREC technology. Occasionally we go through a laboratory, but not often. If you walk into our office with a piece broken off of your tooth, you could probably leave the same day with a crown on that tooth.

If you have a damaged or decayed tooth, we have a great solution. Call East Wichita Dentist at (316) 215-7152, or use our convenient form to schedule an appointment.

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