Restoring/protecting teeth damaged through injury, decay, or natural wear
DENTAL CROWNS LEEDS
Natural Restorations that
RESTORE CONFIDENCE
Lost and damaged teeth severely impact confidence. But it’s never just your self-esteem that you need to worry about. There are several oral health problems associated with tooth loss, not to mention how difficult chewing can become.
At Leeds Dental Clinic, we offer a range of options to restore these lost and damaged teeth, including crowns and bridges.
WHY MIGHT YOU
NEED A DENTAL CROWN?
Crowns can be useful for:
HOW ARE
CROWNS PLACED?
We’ll start by carrying out initial examinations and taking scans of the affected tooth. Once we’re ready to proceed, we’ll file the tooth down and remove the outer layer to prepare it to support the crown. Next, we’ll take a mould of the tooth so that the laboratory can make your crown.
While your permanent crown is being made, we’ll place a temporary restoration in its place. If you think this looks great, just wait to see the one we’re making for you. When this is ready, we’ll remove the temporary prosthetic and cement the final crown into place.
THE BENEFITS OF DENTAL CROWNS
Porcelain crowns are made to fit perfectly in terms of size and shape. They’re completely natural in appearance and are indistinguishable from the rest of your teeth. We can even colour-match your new crown with your existing teeth.
How Dental Crowns Protect and Strengthen Your Teeth
Dental crowns are durable and hard-wearing. Often, a dental crown will last for many years, provided they are cared for properly with routine dentist visits and a thorough oral hygiene regime.
A crown will protect your tooth from further damage or decay. A fractured or partially decayed tooth is more susceptible to further damage due to increased exposure to plaque bacteria. Capping a compromised tooth with a crown lessens the risk of decay being able to penetrate deep inside and cause the need for root canal treatment.
WHAT IS A
DENTAL BRIDGE?
Losing a tooth through decay or trauma in a prominent position front and centre in your mouth can impact your self-esteem and make eating a challenge. But regardless of the location of the gap, its absence can cause neighbouring teeth to drift and create wide-open spaces where the bacteria that cause decay or gum disease can become rife.
Filling the gap will restore the appearance and function of the lost tooth and diminish the oral health risks and bite issues associated with it.
A dental bridge is a prosthetic structure that literally ‘bridges’ the gap between a missing tooth or teeth. It usually consists of dental crowns which are placed onto a neighbouring tooth and a pontic, which is an artificial tooth which is bonded to the crowns. In some cases, more than one pontic may be used.
THE DIFFERENT
TYPES OF BRIDGE
TRADITIONAL BRIDGES
This type of bridge uses crowns retained by existing teeth or implants placed on either side of the gap to support a pontic. This is the most common type of bridge and is typically made from porcelain.
CANTILEVER BRIDGES
This type of bridge is only supported by a crown or implant on one side. The supporting tooth is sometimes referred to as an abutment tooth. The placement process is shorter and more cost-effective. Cantilever bridges can be used when one tooth is missing.
MARYLAND BRIDGES
A Maryland bridge uses metal wings on either side of the pontic to gain support from the backs of teeth neighbouring the gap. The metal framework that supports the bridge is held in place by composite resin. A special light is used to cure the resin, firmly bonding the metal to the backs of the teeth so that nobody will know they’re there.
HOW ARE BRIDGES PLACED?
There are several types of bridges, and the exact placement process of your bridge will depend on the type we’re fitting.
As with many of the procedures we offer, the bridge placement process will start with us assessing your mouth. The assessment will usually include taking digital scans and impressions. Then, we’ll use this information to carefully design and make the perfect bridge. We’ll also colour-match your bridge at this stage so it blends perfectly with your smile.
Our highly-skilled technicians will set to work creating your bridge in the laboratory. In the meantime, we can place a temporary restoration that’ll give you some of the appearance and functionality of your teeth. While these are only temporary, they look and feel great.
Once your permanent bridge is ready, we’ll place it using an anaesthetic to make the experience as comfortable as possible for you.
Depending on the type of bridge, we may need to start by preparing the neighbouring teeth that will receive crowns. This usually involves removing a portion of the outer layer to accommodate the size of the crown.
We’ll then cement the crowns into position. Once in place, we’ll make any necessary adjustments to ensure the bridge fits and functions perfectly.
THE BENEFITS OF DENTAL BRIDGES
Dental bridges restore the appearance and function of your teeth. They are sturdy and provide reliability when it comes to your bite. Our made-to-measure bridges are perfectly designed to match the colour, shape, and size of your natural teeth.
The presence of a bridge prevents the gradual movement of your remaining natural teeth. By filling the gap, you will eliminate the potential for your teeth to become misaligned.
PRAISE
FOR LEEDS DENTAL IMPLANT AND COSMETIC CLINIC
DENTAL CROWNS - Frequently Asked Questions
What is a dental crown and why might I need one?
A dental crown is a carefully crafted restoration that fits over your existing tooth structure, much like a protective cap. This elegant solution completely encases the visible portion of your tooth above the gumline, restoring its shape, size, strength, and appearance to create a natural-looking result that enhances your smile.
Understanding Dental Crown Restorations
Dental crowns are custom-made prosthetic restorations designed to fit perfectly over a prepared tooth. They’re created from durable materials that mimic the natural translucency and colour of tooth enamel, ensuring they blend seamlessly with your surrounding teeth. Once placed, a crown effectively becomes the new outer surface of your tooth, providing both protection and aesthetic improvement.
The Structure and Design of Modern Crowns
Modern dental crowns are precision-engineered to match the exact dimensions of your natural tooth. The interior surface is carefully shaped to fit over your prepared tooth structure, while the exterior is artfully contoured to replicate the natural anatomy of your tooth, including the correct height, width, and occlusal (biting) surface details that ensure proper function when you chew.
How Crowns Integrate with Dental Anatomy
A well-fitted crown works in harmony with your existing dental structures, including the surrounding teeth, gum tissues, and opposing dentition. The margins of the crown sit just at or slightly below your gumline, creating a smooth transition between the restoration and your natural tooth structure while protecting the vulnerable root surfaces from decay and sensitivity.
Common Reasons for Dental Crown Treatment
Dental crowns serve both restorative and protective functions, making them an ideal solution for a variety of dental concerns that affect the structural integrity or appearance of your teeth.
Restoring Compromised Tooth Structure
When a tooth has become significantly damaged through injury, extensive decay, or natural wear, a crown provides comprehensive protection and reinforcement. By encasing the entire visible portion of the tooth, a crown prevents further breakdown of the weakened structure and distributes biting forces evenly to avoid additional damage.
Post-Endodontic Protection
Following root canal treatment, teeth often require the additional support and protection that only a crown can provide. The endodontic procedure removes the tooth’s internal pulp tissues, which can leave the remaining tooth structure more brittle and susceptible to fracture. A crown strengthens and seals the tooth, preventing bacterial reinfection and ensuring the long-term success of your root canal therapy.
Supporting Dental Prosthetics
Crowns also play a crucial role in supporting other dental prosthetics, such as bridges or implant restorations. They can serve as anchors (abutments) for dental bridges or as the visible portion of a dental implant restoration, providing both functionality and natural aesthetics.
Your dentist will carefully evaluate your specific dental situation to determine if a crown is the most appropriate treatment for your needs. With advances in materials and techniques, today’s dental crowns offer exceptional durability, comfort, and aesthetic results that can restore both your oral health and your confidence.
How is a dental crown placed and how many appointments does it take?
Getting a dental crown is a straightforward process that typically involves two appointments to ensure your restoration fits perfectly and looks completely natural. The journey to your new crown combines precise clinical work with meticulous artistry to create a result that enhances both the function and appearance of your smile.
The Dental Crown Treatment Journey
The process begins with a comprehensive examination where your dentist will evaluate the tooth requiring a crown and discuss your treatment options. This initial consultation includes assessing the extent of damage or decay, checking your bite relationship, and determining the most suitable type of crown for your specific needs.
First Appointment: Preparation and Impressions
During your first appointment, your dentist will prepare your tooth to receive the crown. This involves carefully reshaping the tooth by removing a small amount of the outer layer to create space for the crown to fit perfectly. The amount removed depends on the type of crown material selected, but the goal is always to preserve as much healthy tooth structure as possible while creating adequate space for a natural-looking restoration.
Digital Scanning and Temporary Protection
After preparing your tooth, your dentist will take detailed impressions or digital scans to create an exact record of your tooth and surrounding structures. These precise measurements ensure your crown will fit perfectly and function correctly within your bite. While your permanent crown is being crafted in a dental laboratory, a temporary crown will be placed to protect your prepared tooth and maintain your smile’s appearance and function during the interim period.
The Creation of Your Custom Crown
Between appointments, skilled dental technicians work to fabricate your permanent crown using the impressions or digital scans provided by your dentist. This meticulous process ensures your crown matches the exact specifications needed for proper fit and function.
Colour Matching and Aesthetic Considerations
During the fabrication process, particular attention is paid to matching the colour, translucency, and surface characteristics of your natural teeth. Your dentist will have taken shade measurements during your first appointment to ensure your crown blends seamlessly with your smile. This artistic aspect of crown creation is crucial for achieving a restoration that looks completely natural.
Second Appointment: Fitting and Placement
When your permanent crown is ready, you’ll return for your second appointment, typically 1-2 weeks after the first visit. Your dentist will remove the temporary crown and check the fit, appearance, and occlusal relationship of your new permanent restoration. After any necessary adjustments to ensure optimal comfort and function, the crown will be permanently cemented or bonded into place.
Final Adjustments and Follow-up Care
Once your crown is secured, your dentist will make any final adjustments to ensure your bite feels comfortable and natural. This might include fine-tuning the crown’s surface to perfect your occlusion (how your upper and lower teeth meet when you close your mouth).
Immediate Adaptation Period
It’s normal to experience a brief adjustment period as you become accustomed to your new crown. Your dentist may schedule a short follow-up appointment to check how you’re adapting to the restoration and address any concerns. Most patients quickly adjust to their new crown, finding it feels comfortable and natural within a few days of placement.
The entire crown process is designed to be comfortable and efficient, with local anaesthesia used during the preparation appointment to ensure you remain pain-free throughout the treatment. Your dental team will work closely with you at each stage, keeping you informed and ensuring your comfort as your new restoration takes shape.
What are the benefits of getting a dental crown for a damaged or weakened tooth?
Dental crowns offer remarkable benefits that extend beyond simply repairing a damaged tooth. This versatile restoration provides comprehensive protection while restoring both function and appearance, making it an excellent solution for teeth that have been compromised.
Protective Benefits of Dental Crowns
One of the most significant advantages of a crown is the exceptional protection it provides to a damaged or weakened tooth. By completely encasing the visible portion of your tooth, a crown creates a defensive barrier against further deterioration and external threats to your dental health.
Prevention of Further Damage
When a tooth has been compromised by a fracture, large cavity, or extensive wear, it becomes increasingly vulnerable to additional damage. A dental crown distributes biting forces evenly across the tooth, preventing existing cracks from spreading and protecting weakened areas from the stresses of normal chewing and grinding. This protective quality is particularly valuable for teeth that have undergone root canal treatment, which can leave them more brittle and susceptible to fracture.
Decay Prevention and Pulp Protection
For teeth with significant decay or damage, a crown provides a sealed protective layer that helps prevent bacteria from accessing the vulnerable inner structures of your tooth. This protection is crucial for avoiding pulp inflammation or infection that could necessitate more extensive treatment such as root canal therapy. By creating a barrier against bacterial invasion, a crown helps maintain the vitality of your natural tooth.
Functional Improvements with Crown Restorations
Beyond protection, dental crowns restore full functionality to teeth that might otherwise be limited in their capacity to participate in normal biting and chewing activities.
Restored Chewing Efficiency
A damaged tooth often causes discomfort during eating, leading many people to avoid using that tooth or to modify their chewing patterns. This compensation can create imbalances that affect your entire dentition. A crown restores normal chewing function, allowing you to enjoy a varied diet without discomfort or concern about further damaging your tooth.
Occlusal Harmony and Bite Stability
Crowns can be precisely designed to correct minor occlusal (bite) discrepancies, creating a more balanced relationship between your upper and lower teeth. This improved alignment helps prevent abnormal wear patterns across your dentition and can alleviate symptoms associated with malocclusion, such as jaw discomfort or headaches related to dental strain.
Aesthetic Advantages of Modern Crowns
Today’s dental crowns offer exceptional aesthetic results that can dramatically improve the appearance of damaged or discoloured teeth.
Natural Appearance and Seamless Integration
Modern crown materials can mimic the translucency, colour gradation, and light-reflecting properties of natural teeth with remarkable accuracy. This means your crown can blend seamlessly with your surrounding teeth, creating a harmonious smile that looks completely natural. For teeth with significant discolouration or irregular shape, a crown can provide an instant transformation that enhances your overall facial aesthetics.
Confidence in Your Smile
Perhaps one of the most valuable benefits of dental crowns is the confidence they restore. Knowing that your damaged tooth is protected, functional, and aesthetically pleasing allows you to smile, speak, and eat without self-consciousness or worry about how your tooth looks or feels.
With proper care and maintenance, a dental crown not only resolves current dental issues but serves as a long-term investment in your oral health and wellbeing. Your dentist can help you determine if a crown is the right solution for your specific dental concerns and guide you in choosing the most appropriate type of crown for your needs.
Who is a suitable candidate for a dental crown and what materials are available?
Dental crowns provide an excellent solution for many dental concerns, but determining if this restoration is right for you depends on your specific oral health situation. Understanding both the candidacy considerations and the range of materials available will help you make an informed decision about your dental care.
Ideal Candidates for Dental Crown Treatment
Most people with damaged or weakened teeth can benefit from dental crowns, provided they have sufficient healthy tooth structure remaining to support the restoration. Your dentist will carefully evaluate several factors during your consultation to determine if a crown is the most appropriate treatment for your needs.
Tooth Structure Requirements
To support a crown successfully, your tooth must have enough healthy structure remaining above the gumline. This foundation provides the necessary support for the crown to function properly. If your tooth is severely compromised, your dentist might first perform additional procedures, such as a core build-up or post and core, to create adequate support for the crown.
Gingival Health Considerations
The health of your gum tissues plays an important role in crown success. Healthy gingiva creates the proper foundation for your restoration and contributes to both the aesthetics and longevity of your crown. If you have active periodontal disease, your dentist will typically address this condition before proceeding with crown treatment to ensure optimal outcomes.
Crown Material Options and Their Properties
Modern dentistry offers several excellent materials for dental crowns, each with unique properties that make them suitable for different clinical situations and patient preferences.
Porcelain Fused to Metal Crown Technology
These crowns combine the strength of a metal substructure with the aesthetic appeal of porcelain. The metal base provides excellent durability and marginal integrity, while the porcelain overlay creates a natural-looking appearance. These crowns are particularly suitable for back teeth where strength is crucial, though they may show a thin dark line at the gum margin over time if gum recession occurs.
All-Ceramic and Porcelain Crown Options
For unparalleled aesthetic results, all-ceramic crowns offer exceptional translucency and light transmission properties that closely mimic natural tooth enamel. Materials such as lithium disilicate and zirconia provide remarkable strength while maintaining beautiful aesthetics, making them ideal for front teeth or for patients with metal allergies. Advanced ceramics like zirconia also offer excellent durability for back teeth where chewing forces are greater.
Specialised Crown Materials for Specific Needs
Beyond the standard options, several specialised materials address particular clinical situations or patient requirements.
Gold Alloy Crown Benefits
Gold alloy crowns have a long history of clinical success and offer exceptional durability with minimal wear to opposing teeth. Their malleability allows for precise marginal adaptation, and their wear characteristics closely match natural tooth enamel. While less commonly chosen for visible teeth due to their distinctive appearance, gold crowns remain an excellent option for posterior teeth, particularly for patients with strong biting forces or teeth grinding habits.
Zirconia Crown Applications
Zirconia has emerged as a leading material for modern crowns due to its outstanding strength and improving aesthetic properties. This biocompatible material resists fracture and chipping while requiring minimal removal of healthy tooth structure. Recent advancements in multi-layered zirconia have significantly improved the material’s appearance, making it suitable for both front and back teeth.
The ideal crown material for you depends on numerous factors, including the location of the tooth, your aesthetic expectations, functional requirements, and budget considerations. Your dentist will consider these factors carefully when recommending the most appropriate crown solution for your specific dental situation.
How do I look after a dental crown and how long can it be expected to last?
With proper care and attention, your dental crown can provide you with many years of comfortable function and aesthetic satisfaction. Understanding how to maintain your restoration and what factors influence its longevity will help you protect your investment in your smile.
Daily Care for Dental Crown Maintenance
Caring for your dental crown involves many of the same practices that keep your natural teeth healthy. A consistent oral hygiene routine helps preserve both your crown and the underlying tooth structure that supports it.
Effective Cleaning Techniques
Brush your teeth at least twice daily using a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Pay special attention to the crown margins—the area where your restoration meets your natural tooth at the gumline—as this junction can collect plaque and food debris. Gentle circular motions are most effective, and taking your time to clean all surfaces thoroughly will help maintain both your crown and natural teeth.
Interdental Cleaning Importance
Daily flossing is essential for maintaining the health of your gums around your crowned tooth. Use a gentle sawing motion to guide the floss between teeth, being careful not to snap it down onto your gum tissue. Interdental brushes or water flossers can be particularly useful for cleaning around and beneath crown margins without applying excessive pressure that might damage your restoration.
Protecting Your Dental Crown Investment
Beyond regular cleaning, certain protective measures can significantly extend the life of your crown and help prevent damage that might compromise its function or appearance.
Bite Protection Strategies
If you have habits such as teeth grinding (bruxism) or clenching, these can place excessive stress on your crown and potentially lead to damage over time. Your dentist might recommend a custom night guard to protect your crown during sleep. This simple protective device can significantly extend the lifespan of your restoration by reducing harmful forces.
Dietary Considerations for Crown Longevity
While dental crowns are durable, they’re not indestructible. To protect your restoration, it’s advisable to avoid extremely hard foods like ice, boiled sweets, or nuts that could potentially damage your crown. Being mindful of what you eat and how you eat it can help prevent unnecessary stress on your dental work.
Expected Lifespan of Modern Dental Crowns
The durability of dental crowns has improved significantly with advances in materials and techniques, offering patients longer-lasting restorations than ever before.
Material-Specific Longevity Factors
Different crown materials offer varying durability profiles. Gold alloy crowns often demonstrate the longest clinical lifespan, frequently lasting 20 years or more with proper care. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns typically provide 10-15 years of service, while all-ceramic crowns generally last 10-15 years, with newer materials like zirconia showing promise for even longer service.
Maintenance and Regular Assessment
Regular dental check-ups are crucial for monitoring the condition of your crown and the supporting tooth structure. During these visits, your dentist will examine your crown for signs of wear, check the integrity of the margins, and assess the health of the surrounding gum tissue. Professional cleaning helps remove tartar that can accumulate around crown margins, threatening both your restoration and underlying tooth.
Many factors influence how long your crown will last, including your oral hygiene practices, dietary habits, bite forces, and the specific location of the crown in your mouth. With attentive home care, regular professional maintenance, and protection from excessive forces, your dental crown can provide reliable function and aesthetics for many years, making it a valuable investment in your oral health.
DENTAL CROWNS AT LEEDS DENTAL CLINIC
At Leeds Dental Clinic, we use the latest technology and well-refined techniques to place crowns and bridges that will meet your aesthetic and functional needs. Our highly trained team will be able to advise you on the right restoration to perfect your smile.
To learn more about crowns and bridges or find out whether you’re a suitable candidate, speak to our friendly team today and arrange an appointment.
