Your dentist may advise you to get a crown if you have:

• A decayed or damaged tooth that needs to be restored to its normal shape and size
• A cracked or broken tooth with large cavities or worn fillings
• A poor-fitting crown
• A tooth that has a large opening on its top surface after root canal surgery
• A cosmetic tooth problem
• A bite problem

What Is A Crown?

A crown (also called a cap) is a manmade cover that protects the top of a tooth.  It may be used to restore and preserve a decayed, broken, or cracked tooth.  Crowns can also correct some cosmetic tooth problems, giving you a better smile.     

The Procedure

Restoring your tooth with a crown may take 2 or 3 dental visits.  Expect to wait 2 to 3 weeks between appointments.  Follow the instructions that your dentist gives you.

Preparing Your Tooth

Before preparing your tooth for a crown, your dentist may first numb the tooth with a local anesthetic.  Then, the tooth is reduced and shaped.  Any decay is removed.  Your tooth may also need rebuilding if larger parts are missing.  A mold is taken of the prepared tooth and the surrounding teeth.  A temporary crown is applied to protect the prepared tooth between visits.

• Avoid eating hard or sticky foods
• Brush gently at the gumline round the temporary crown.
• Carefully floss between your teeth.  To remove the floss, pull it out from the side of the tooth--not the top.

Metal Crown

This crown is made of gold or other metals.  It is very strong and won't break.  Because this type isn't tooth-colored, it may not be the best choice for a front tooth.

Tooth-Coloured Cown

A tooth-colored crown is made of porcelain or reinforced resin.  It comes in a range of shades to blend with your other teeth.  this type of crown may be more likely to chip than a metal crown.

Combination Crown

Porcelain is fused on top metal, making this crown appear tooth-colored.  The metal at its base makes the crown stronger than a porcelain or resin crown.  But it is not as strong as a metal crown.

 

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It will take two or more dental visits to prepare and fit your bridge.

Preparing Your Teeth

For a conventional bridge, the teeth on either side of the space to be filled must be reshaped.  These reshaped teeth hold crowns that support the bridge.  Limited reshaping is also necessary with the resin-bonded bridge.  For either bridge, impressions of your teeth are taken.  These impressions are used to make your bridge.  This process takes several weeks.  During this time, you may have a temporary bridge to protect your reshaped teeth.

Fitting Your Bridge

When your new bridge is ready, your dentist places it on your teeth and adjusts it until it fits and feels right.  The bridge is then cemented or bonded into place.  If you have any problems over the next few days, call you dentist.  He or she can advise you what to do or make any other adjustments that may be needed.

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An excellent way to replace missing teeth.

The Problem:

• A missing tooth or teeth
• Potential bite and jaw joint problems from teeth shifting to fill the space
• The "sunken face" look associated with missing teeth
• Desire to improve chewing ability
• Desire for a more permanent solution than dentures.

A dental implant is an appliance used to replace the roots of teeth.  The implant is surgically  attached to the jaw bone and an artificial tooth is attached to the top of the implant, creating a natural looking, undetectable replacement for the missing tooth.  In the event that more than one tooth is missing, several implants may provide a base for a series of artificial teeth known as a fixed bridge (see fixed bridges).  Implants can even be used to secure a full set to reduce the risk of choking.

It generally takes about six months for the surgical implant to heal before the final installation of the artificial tooth or teeth can be finished.

Disadvantages:

Dental implants are excellent, state-of-the-art restorations and have few disadvantages when compared to alternatives such as dentures.  However, dental implants do require surgery and time to  heal, and they are initially more expensive than dentures or fixed bridges.  These disadvantages are offset by the ease of use, saved time and long term health benefits of implants.

Single tooth implants are an excellent way to replace a single missing tooth.  Because implants act as an artificial root for a false tooth or crown,  they function almost exactly like a natural tooth. 

It is very important to replace missing teeth, because missing teeth leads to bone loss and the shifting of other teeth over time as they "cave in" to fill the space.  This can lead to many problems, including, difficulty chewing, tooth decay and jaw pain.

The modern osseo-integrated implant, a solution benefiting millions of patiens since the early 1970's, is composed of two parts:  the titanium base and a tooth-like porcelain crown.  On the first day of treatment, a titanium base is screwed past the patient's gums and deep into the jawbone.  This is sometimes facilitated by the drilling of preliminary pilot holes.  Titanium is considered a bioactive metal.  This means that the implant will not be rejected by the body's systems and , in fact, "fools" the surrounding bone tissue into accepting it as a natural tooth.

The dentist will then install a temporary cap which both protects the healing tissue and helps mold the gingiva (gum tissue) into a more natural shape.  The patient is generally sedated with a general anesthesia for this first procedure, though sedation options will vary from patient to patient.

The patient should allow three to six months for the healing process to complete.  During this period, osteoblasts (bone tissue cells) actually grow into and around the groves and rough edges of the titanium screw.  This bonding of bone with metal provides the implants with an extremely robust structural foundation.

The temporary cap allows for safe and normal chewing activity during the healing process.

Final Installation

Once the gum and bone tissue has healed, the dentist will remove the temporary cap and affix a permanent tooth-shaped crown to the implant base.  The crown is made from a highly durable porcelain, custom-designed to perfectly match your smile's shape and colour.

Finally, the patient has a single tooth implant with that will function very similar to the natural too it is replacing.

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Veneers are a thin translucent coating made out of porcelain or resin (plastic).  They are applied to the front teeth to improve their color, size, or shape.  Veneers can help you achieve the smile you want.

Are Veneers Right for You?

Veneers can correct many dental problems. These include:

• Teeth discolored from medication or age
   
• Front teeth that are worn or chipped
   
• Gaps and other spaces between teeth
   
• Crooked teeth

Veneers may require 2 or 3 office visits from start to finish.  Your dentist first examines your teeth.  He or she will then discuss what kind of veneers will be used.  You and your dentist will choose the right veneer colour for your new smile.  Your teeth are then prepared for veneers.  And the veneers are bonded to your teeth.

Your teeth may be lightly filed.  A mild impression of your teeth is then taken and sent to a lab to make your veneers.  Before you leave the office, your dentist may apply temporary veneers.  If you don't get temporary veneers, avoid cold foods and drinks.  Your teeth may be more sensitive than usual.

Between Visits

• Until your next visit, the dentist may tell you to:
• Brush your teeth gently and avoid foods that are to cold
• Avoid eating hard foods.  They may loosen your temporary veneers.

Bonding of Veneers

Before bonding, your dentist will fit the veneers on your teeth and check the color.  Slight changes in veneer color can be made by varying the color of the cement.  The surfaces of your teeth are then cleansed.  The veneers are bonded to your teeth with a special cement that is hardened with a high-intensity light.  Any excess cement is removed. Finished veneers should feel comfortable.

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The pulp chamber contains a system of blood vessels, lymph vessels and nerves, the pulp, which enter from the bone through the root canals.  This system provides nourishment for the cells within the tooth.

Deep tooth decay or other injury can cause damage to or infection of the tooth pulp. In a root canal or endodontic treatment, the dentist removes the damaged or infected pulp and replaces it with a special filler which helps maintain the remaining tooth structure. Some indications of the need for root canal treatment may be spontaneous pain or throbbing while biting, sensitivity to hot and cold foods, and severe decay or an injury that creates an abscess (infection) in the bone.

Some indications of the need for need for root canal treatment may be spontaneous pain or throbbing while biting, sensitivity to hot and cold foods, and severe decay or an injury that creates an abscess (infection) in the bone.

Here's how it's done:
After the tooth is anesthetized, an opening is made through the crown into the pulp chamber.		1
The length of the root canals is determined.		2
Unhealthy pulp is removed.  Canals are cleaned, enlarged and shaped.		3
Canals are filled and sealed.  A metal post may be added for structural support or retain restorative materials.		4
The tooth is sealed with a temporary filling.  Usually a gold or porcelain crown adds further protection.		5
The material used to fill your root canal will probably last you a lifetime, but eventually the filling or crown may need to be replaced.  Be sure to follow the special home care instructions provided by your dental professional.
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Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the final teeth to develop.  Most of us have four wisdom teeth, one in each corner of the mouth.  They usually emerge during our late teens or early twenties. Often times, wisdom teeth become trapped or impacted in the jawbone, or simply fail to erupt.  This can cause crowding or displacement of other teeth, or lead to the development of localization tooth decay, infection, or gum disease.  Impacted wisdom teeth are set in the jawbone in unusual positions, sometimes horizontally, which stops them from erupting in a normal way.
Angular, bony impaction of third molar (wisdom tooth).
Soft tissue impaction of third molar (wisdom tooth).
In most cases, it is recommended that impacted wisdom teeth be extracted.  Depending on the position of the tooth, third molar or wisdom tooth removal can be performed in your dentist's office, at an outpatient surgical facility, or in a hospital.
Here's how it's done:
Incision is made and overlying bone is removed, exposing crown of impacted tooth.		1
Tooth is extracted whole or surgically sectioned.  The site is sutured closed.		2
To ease any discomfort and promote healing:
Use ice packs on the cheek for swelling, alternating on and off every thirty minutes. Apply biting pressure with clean gauze to stop bleeding. Eat soft foods and drink extra liquids. Avoid hard or crunchy foods in the tender area. Brush carefully the day after surgery. Take prescribed medications and follow all instructions as directed. Call your dentist or physician immediately in case of excessive bleeding or swelling, persistent, severe pain or fever. Be sure to follow special home care instruction provided by your dental professional.
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Our office is equipped with the latest technology including digital radiographs which is most times up to 80% less radiation to our patients.  It also gives us the benefits of not having to use harmful chemicals in our office to develop the x-rays.  This is safer for our staff, patients, and the environment in general.
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Crowns     Bridges    Implants     Veneers     Root Canal     Wisdom Tooth Extraction     Dental Technology