Dental Crown and Bridge

Dental Crown and Bridge

Zirconia Crown and Bridge in Johor Bahru (JB), Taman Molek | KLINIK PERGIGIAN DR CHEONG

At Klinik Pergigian Dr Cheong, we provide advanced zirconia dental crown and bridge services designed to restore the function and appearance of your teeth. Crowns and bridges are effective solutions for addressing tooth damage, decay, or loss, helping you achieve a complete and healthy smile.

What Are Dental Crowns?

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap placed over a damaged or weakened tooth to restore its shape, size, strength, and appearance. Crowns are used to protect and reinforce a tooth that has undergone significant decay, has a large filling, or has been treated with a root canal. Dental crowns typically don't require special care over time other than regular good oral hygiene.

When is a Dental Crown Necessary?

  • To enhance the appearance of a tooth by restoring its color and shape after significant damage.

  • When a tooth is severely affected by decay, and a filling alone isn't enough to repair it.

  • After major trauma, such as an accident or injury, that has caused substantial damage to the tooth.

  • For teeth that have undergone root canal therapy, as they become more fragile and require additional protection.

Advantages of a Dental Crown

  • Restores Tooth Function: A crown helps restore the normal function of a damaged or weakened tooth, allowing you to bite, chew, and speak comfortably.

  • Improves Appearance: Crowns can enhance the look of discolored, misshapen, or severely damaged teeth, giving you a natural and aesthetically pleasing smile.

  • Strengthens Teeth: By covering and protecting weak teeth, crowns add strength and durability, reducing the risk of further damage or decay.

  • Long-lasting Solution: With proper care, dental crowns are highly durable and can last many years, providing a long-term solution for tooth restoration.

  • Supports Dental Procedures: Crowns are often used in conjunction with other treatments, such as root canal therapy, dental implants, or bridges, to provide stability and protection.

  • Customized Fit: Crowns are tailored to fit your unique tooth structure, ensuring a comfortable fit and optimal function.

  • Prevents Further Damage: By covering the entire tooth, crowns help protect it from further wear, decay, and potential fractures.

What Are Zirconia Crowns?

Zirconia crowns are an advanced dental restoration method that utilizes cutting-edge technology. This process involves CAD and laser scanning to create precise models of your teeth, resulting in highly accurate and durable crowns.

Characteristics and Benefits of Zirconia Crowns:

  • Natural Aesthetics: Zirconia crowns exhibit a superior natural luster and realistic appearance compared to traditional porcelain crowns, with enhanced transparency that mimics the look of natural teeth.

  • Exceptional Biocompatibility: These crowns are gentle on the gums, causing no irritation or allergic reactions. Zirconia crowns eliminate the risk of black lines at the gum line, making them an ideal choice for oral applications. They effectively avoid the adverse effects associated with traditional metal-ceramic crowns, such as allergies, irritation, and corrosion.

  • High Strength and Durability: With their unique resistance to cracking and robust performance even after fracture, zirconia crowns provide exceptional strength and durability, ensuring long-lasting functionality.

  • Precision Fit and Marginal Integrity: Zirconia crowns ensure a precise fit and superior marginal integrity, providing an excellent seal between the crown and the underlying tooth structure, enhancing both comfort and effectiveness.

Why is a Crown Necessary After Root Canal Treatment?

Root canal treatment is a standard dental procedure designed to effectively clean and disinfect the root canal by removing debris and bacteria using specialized instruments and medications. This treatment is typically required when a tooth is affected by issues such as damage to the dental pulp or periapical tissue, or when significant decay (cavities) leads to the loss of pulp vitality.

Before the procedure, the tooth may have already experienced varying degrees of damage. During root canal therapy, some of the tooth structure may need to be removed to ensure thorough cleaning, which further compromises the tooth's structural integrity and resistance to pressure.

After the treatment, the tooth loses both its supportive structure and nutritional supply, making it more brittle and prone to fractures. A crown helps protect and support the remaining tooth structure, acts as a barrier against bacteria and decay, and reduces the risk of reinfection. Therefore, a crown is essential for ensuring the longevity and oral health of the treated tooth, enhancing its ability to function effectively during chewing. This makes it an integral part of the root canal process in many cases.

What Are Dental Bridges?

A dental bridge is a prosthetic device used to replace one or more missing teeth. It consists of one or more artificial teeth (pontics) anchored in place by dental crowns on the adjacent natural teeth or implants. Bridges restore the appearance and function of missing teeth, filling the gap and preventing the surrounding teeth from shifting.

Why is a Dental Bridge Needed?

A missing tooth can certainly change the appearance of your smile. It can also affect your speech, ability to chew your food, the integrity of your jawbone, and cause the slow shifting of your teeth into the empty spaces. Additionally, the loss of one or two teeth can impact adjacent teeth, leading to gum inflammation or misalignment, which can cause discomfort and pain, disrupting sleep and daily life.

You may be a better candidate for a dental bridge if you are suffering from:

  1. Diabetes: Slow wound healing and an increased chance of wound infection that can occur in diabetics are two causes of implant failure in diabetes sufferers.

  2. Periodontal Disease: Diseased gums are filled with bacteria that can lead to a severe dental implant infection called peri-implantitis. This infection can quickly lead to implant failure.

  3. Smoking: Smoking cigarettes cuts off blood supply to gum tissue, which can delay surgical wound healing that must occur after dental implant placement.

  4. Taking Certain Medications: Implants fail more often in people taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) used to control heartburn and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used to control depression and anxiety.

Primary Advantages of Dental Bridges:

  1. Smile Restoration: Dental bridges are recommended for patients with missing teeth who would like to restore their smile. When you feel confident about the appearance of your smile, you smile more often, which improves your quality of life.

  2. Speaking and Chewing: Another important benefit is the ability to chew properly and to speak clearly. After a patient loses a tooth or teeth, it can be challenging or uncomfortable to chew certain types of food.

  3. Maintain the Face’s Natural Shape: If you lose a tooth, the jawbone may start to deteriorate under the area where there’s a gap.

  4. Prevent Teeth from Moving: A dental bridge can help you keep your natural teeth in place. When you fill in gaps along your gum line with a restorative element like a dental bridge, your other natural teeth are much less likely to drift and become loose.

Are Zirconia Dental Bridges Good?

  1. Zirconia dental bridges are exceptionally strong and stable.

  2. They have a translucent appearance, providing a more natural match to your existing teeth.

  3. Since there is no base metal, black lines at the edge of the gum line are eliminated.
     

The Dental Crown and Bridge Procedure:

  1. Initial Consultation:
    • During your first visit, we conduct a thorough examination of your oral health, including X-rays and possibly digital imaging, to assess the condition of your teeth and gums.

    • We discuss your treatment goals and develop a customized plan that addresses your specific needs.

  2. Preparation:
    • For Crowns: The affected tooth is prepared by removing any decay or damage and shaping it to accommodate the crown. A temporary crown may be placed while the final crown is being fabricated.

    • For Bridges: The adjacent teeth (abutments) are prepared by removing a small amount of enamel to make room for the crowns that will anchor the bridge. Impressions of your teeth are taken to create a precise model for the bridge.

  3. Fabrication:
    • Impressions of the prepared tooth or teeth are sent to a dental laboratory where custom crowns or bridges are created. This process typically takes a few weeks.

    • We may provide a temporary crown or bridge to protect your teeth while the permanent restoration is being made.

  4. Placement:
    • Once the crowns or bridge are ready, we schedule a follow-up appointment to fit and cement the final restorations.

    • We carefully adjust the fit and alignment to ensure that the crowns or bridge feel comfortable and function properly.

  5. Final Adjustments:
    • We check the bite and make any necessary adjustments to ensure that your crowns or bridge fit seamlessly and do not interfere with your natural bite.

    • Detailed care instructions are provided to help you maintain your new restorations and overall oral health.

At Klinik Pergigian Dr. Cheong, we are committed to providing exceptional dental care and advanced solutions to enhance your oral health and smile. Our zirconia dental crowns and bridges are designed to offer durability, aesthetic appeal, and biocompatibility, ensuring a comfortable fit and natural look. Schedule a consultation with us today and take the first step towards achieving a healthier, more radiant smile.