The crown of a tooth is the part of the tooth that is visible above the gums. When a dentist places a 'crown' on a patient it is referring to a full coverage restoration that is cemented on the tooth. It is also commonly referred to as a 'cap.'

A dental crown provides strength to a tooth in situations when a lot of tooth structure has been lost due to decay or fracture. They are natural looking, long lasting and will improve your smile.

There are many situations that require a tooth to be restored with a dental crown. The most common reasons are:

• Large filling – when a tooth has lost the majority of its structure, it needs to be crowned. This is because the remaining tooth around the large filling is so weak that it is prone to fracture.
• Root Canal Treatment – A Root canal treatment predisposes the remaining tooth to cracking and as such needs to be restored with a crown almost immediately to prevent it from fracturing.
• Cracked tooth - This is a condition whereby a patient has fractures inside a tooth that causes pain when it is chewed on a certain way. Chewing produces stress on fracture lines that make it feel like it is splitting apart. A crown will hold the tooth together and redistribute the stress evenly throughout the tooth, eliminating the pain in most cases.
• Improve aesthetics: Teeth that have an unacceptable appearance due to colour, shape, or spaces between teeth can be made to look very natural and beautiful with crowns.

A Dental bridge closes the gap created by one or more missing teeth. It is custom-made outside of your mouth and when cemented in place will restore the natural appearance of your smile.

The main advantages of bridges are:

• Improve your smile
• Improve your ability to properly chew and improve your speech
• Evenly distribute the forces in your bite by replacing missing teeth
• Maintains the position of other teeth and stops them from drifting out of position

The Dentists at Nedlands Dental have many years of experience in both crown and bridge work. If you are unsure if you need a crown or bridge, or if you simply want a consult to discuss which treatment option is appropriate for you, contact our staff for a consultation appoinment with one of our dentists.