A crown is a lab fabricated restoration that is permanently bonded to the tooth. It is used to cover and strengthen a tooth that has been structurally compromised due to decay or trauma. There are many different types of crowns available to patients. A popular, but old standard for crown fabrication was porcelain fused to metal (PFM). PFMs allowed for better esthetics than all metal crowns while maintaining good strength. Current technology has created new advances in porcelain strength so that metal is no longer required to give the crown adequate strength. 100% porcelain crowns have a more realistic appearance. If a patient requires a crown, it is important that the crown be designed to hold up to the chewing and biting forces placed on it, while at the same time looking and feeling just like a natural tooth.
Dr. Roth will work with the best labs to fabricate your crown so that it has the most realistic look and appearance, while at the same time maintaining the required strength to last a very long time.
A bridge is a set of connected crowns that are used to permanently replace missing teeth. This is accomplished by spanning the gap by covering the teeth in front and behind the missing teeth. Bridges can be a more cost effective way to permanently replace missing teeth especially when the teeth in front or behind the missing teeth are structurally compromised as well. Advances in porcelain strength can allow bridges to be fabricated in all porcelain so that esthetics can be maximized.