Crowns & Bridges
Natural-Looking Smile Restoration
Damaged and missing teeth harm your self-esteem. If gaps and dental disrepair are all you see when you look in the mirror, you’ll quickly lose confidence in how you smile, laugh, and even talk.
But the negative impression you have of your smile is only part of the problem. Broken and lost teeth affect your ability to bite and chew. At best, food gets trapped; but it’s more likely that you’ll need to avoid lots of meals you enjoy completely because you just can’t chew them.
Added to this, damaged teeth pose an infection risk. A diseased tooth can become very painful and require urgent treatment once bacteria penetrate the weakened shell. Missing teeth also bring problems. Gaps in your smile open you to the possibility of dental drift, where nearby teeth shift position causing misalignments.
Thankfully, we can fix these issues using realistic-looking crowns and bridges — hard-wearing dental prosthetics that restore lost confidence.
The Crowning Glory
There are many ways a tooth can become damaged. Trauma, decay, and everyday wear are all common problems that open a tooth to further complications. A crown is a cap that sits over a damaged tooth. Alternatively, a crown can sit on top of a titanium implant to replace an entire tooth.
There are several materials used in crowns. Hardwearing metals are often used on less-visible molars where durability is needed for chewing; however, natural-looking porcelain crowns are a popular choice because they’re indistinguishable from real teeth.
Why Choose a Crown?
Crowns can help:
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Protect damaged teeth
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Cap a dental implant
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Provide support to a dental bridge
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Covering a tooth after root canal treatment
Your Coronation
Before placing a crown, we’ll begin with an assessment to determine whether this is the best option for you.
We’ll then prepare your tooth by removing a portion of the outer layer to accommodate the crown. Next, we’ll take a digital scan of the tooth so the laboratory can create a custom crown that fits your mouth perfectly.
Once your new crown is back from the lab, we’ll carefully bond it to your tooth and make any necessary adjustments.
Crown Benefits
Because your crown is custom-made, it’ll perfectly match the shape and size of your existing teeth. We’ll also colour-match porcelain crowns, so they look completely natural. The realistic look of your crown can help boost your confidence.
Crowns are durable. Once we’ve placed your new tooth, you can eat what you like without worrying about potentially damaging it. Your replacement tooth should also last a long time.
Once in place, crowns protect the tooth below, limiting the potential for disease or decay. A fracture in your tooth provides an opening for bacteria. Your crown will act as a barrier to infection.
Bridging the Gap
The complete loss of a tooth, or even several teeth, is devastating. When the gaps are at the front of your smile, there’s no hiding them. Your confidence drops, your available menu shrinks, the gap becomes a hotspot for bacteria, and nearby teeth slide out of position.
When you lose teeth, it’s important to replace them. Dental bridges are an effective way to do this. Dental bridges span the gap. Any missing teeth are replaced with prosthetics called ‘pontics’. These lifelike teeth are anchored to the side by crowns fixed to the nearest teeth.
There are several types of bridges including:
- Traditional bridges have pontics attached to the crowns on either side
- Cantilever bridges have pontics attached to a single crown on one side
- Maryland bridges have pontics supported from behind your teeth by metal frames covered with composite resin
Building Bridges
The process of placing your bridge depends on the type. We’ll always start by assessing your smile. Using the latest technology, we’ll gather all the information needed to create a beautiful bespoke bridge that fits well and looks amazing.
Skilled technicians construct every bridge by hand. Until your bridge is back from the laboratory, we’ll fit a temporary restoration. Even though it’s just a stopgap solution, this interim bridge will look great and function well.
Once your final bridge is back from the lab, we’ll place it. If the bridge is supported by crowns, we’ll prepare the underlying teeth first. Finally, we’ll cement the crowns and bridge into position.
Bridge Benefits
Rebuilding your smile using dental bridges has several benefits:
- Natural-looking bridges restore confidence
- A bridge provides a strong foundation for biting and chewing
- Bridges stop dental drift
- Durable and hard-wearing bridges can last for many years
Crown Gallery
Crowns and Bridges at Galgorm Dental
At Galgorm Dental, we’ve restored countless smiles using crowns and bridges. Whether your teeth are damaged or missing, we have prosthetic solutions that enhance your dental health and rebuild confidence.
Call us today and arrange your consultation today.