Crowns are made of metal, gold and porcelain.  There are a variety of reasons why a tooth should have a crown.  Teeth that have been root canaled do not have a great deal of healthy tooth structure remaining, therefore a crown would protect the tooth from fracture. Teeth that have large existing fillings or fractures require crowns to protect and reinforce remaining tooth structure.  Crowns may also be used to improve the esthetics of your teeth by enhancing the shape, position and colour.

A crown procedure is usually done in two appointments.  A crown is placed over a tooth and therefore, a certain amount of the original tooth must be removed to provide space for the crown. In the first appointment a mold is made of your existing tooth to create a temporary one while your crown is being fabricated. The tooth is then shaved down to create space for the crown.  Impressions are taken and sent to the lab for crown fabrication.  The temporary crown is placed, and your next appointment is booked for two weeks later.  After two weeks the temporary crown is removed, and your permanent crown is placed

Bridges are like crowns in that they are also made of metal, gold and porcelain.  Bridges are used to replace a missing tooth.  A tooth is required on either side of the space to support the bridge.  The teeth on either side of the space are prepared the same as a crowned tooth.  A temporary bridge is placed for the two-week lapse until the permanent bridge is complete. Often, if you are a candidate, a dental implant is recommended before a bridge.  A dental implant is singularly placed and does not affect the surrounding teeth.  When the teeth on either side of the open space are healthy and do not require a crown, using an implant opposed to a bridge avoids treatment on adjacent teeth.