Health Article
Venus Crowns and Bridges
Crowns:
If your tooth is fractured or is severely damaged by decay, or has a large filling that needs to be replaced, your Venus dentist may recommend the placement of a crown (also sometimes called a "cap").
A crown is a durable structure placed over a tooth to repair damage or provided added strengths. Many types of crowns are available, including a Venus full porcelain crown, the Venus porcelain-fused-to-metal crown, and the all-metal crown. Fitting a crown can requires two or more visits to the dentist’s office.
On the first visit, the dentist will:
- Remove the decayed or damaged area
- Prepare and shape the tooth
- Take an impression
- Prepare and fit a Venus temporary or transitional crown
In the follow up visit, the dentist will remove the temporary crown, fit and adjust the final Venus crown, and then cement it into place.
Your dentist will match the crown color to the current color of your teeth. If you are considering whitening your teeth with Venus White, you should talk to your dental professional about tooth whitening options before the crown is made. Bleaching products only work on natural teeth and do not affect the color of crowns, so it’s important to whiten first and then match the color of the crown to the whitened tooth.
Bridges:
Nothing has a greater impact on dental health and personal appearance than tooth loss. If one or more of your teeth are missing, the remaining teeth can move out of position, which can lead to a change in the bite, the loss of additional teeth, decay, and gum disease – not to mention a loss of confidence.
If you lose a tooth, your Venus dentist may recommend the placement of a bridge. When a single tooth is missing, the teeth on both sides of the space are covered with crowns and an artificial tooth, called a “pontic” is attached to the crowns, filling in the empty space. This restoration is known as a fixed bridge and is not removable.
In cases where more than one tooth is missing, or there are not two surrounding teeth that can be crowned, other types of bridges or restorations may be considered.
There are three main types of dental bridges:
- Traditional bridges involve creating a crown for the tooth or implant on either side of the missing tooth, with a pontic in between. Traditional bridges are the most common type of bridge and are made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.
- Cantilever bridges are used when there are adjacent teeth on only one side of the missing tooth or teeth.
- Maryland bonded bridges are made of plastic teeth and gums supported by a metal framework. Metal wings on each side of the bridge are bonded to your existing teeth.
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