If you choose to have dental implant in Kent then it’s quite likely the final restoration will be a crown. There are different kinds of crowns that can be made to fit over implants as the materials can vary. Dental crowns can also be used to restore your natural teeth, but what exactly is a crown?
A dental crown is a restoration that fits over the entire tooth, right down to the gum margin which is the junction where the tooth meets the gum. It’s a great restorative treatment for teeth that have been damaged due to decay or disease, and crowning a tooth can help give it more strength. Dental crowns can also be used to mask teeth that are discoloured, or to create a more pleasing shape.
Materials Used to Construct Dental Crowns
Your new crown can be made from a variety of different materials. It can be made entirely from a metal alloy that can be precious or semiprecious, or even non precious. This metal alloy may be gold coloured or it may be silver coloured. Alternatively a metal substructure can be made to fit over the remaining tooth structure or implant, and this is then covered in porcelain to create a very natural looking tooth. Some crowns can be made from all ceramic materials and do not contain any metal whatsoever. These modern materials are extremely strong and should not chip or crack. Cosmetic dental treatments often use all ceramic crowns as they give the very best and most natural results. A well-made all ceramic dental crowns can look incredibly lifelike, and it’s worth asking Dr Rik Trivedi about this material.
Crowns as Part of a Dental Bridge
Dental crowns are also called caps and can form part of a bridge. When you have a bridge it consists of one or two abutment crowns that fit over the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth. These abutment teeth need to be ground down to make room for the crown, and the crown is then attached to the replacement tooth which is called a pontic. Abutment teeth can be used to support more than one pontic depending on the number of teeth you have lost. A dental bridge consisting of abutment crowns and pontics can also be supported by dental implants.
If you’re interested in learning more about restorative dentistry at Parrock Dental and Implant Centre, then why not take a look at our website: www.parrockdental.co.uk or you can always give us a call to talk to our dental team on 01474 537191.