Fillings
When a tooth starts to decay, it’s important that the affected tissue is removed before it has the chance to spread and damage the healthy part of a tooth. A filling is a procedure designed to eliminate any decay and restore the tooth to its original shape.
Your dentist will check all of your current fillings as a part of your dental exam. If we find any broken, loose, or damaged fillings, we may recommend having them replaced. The dentist will also take the opportunity to search for potential signs of decay, like dark spots on the teeth.
If your dentist finds a cavity, they may decide to fill it right away depending on its size. When large cavities are not properly filled, they get bigger and more painful, and could require more in-depth treatments.
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Crowns
A crown might be required to restore a chipped, broken, discoloured, or root canaled tooth. Sometimes if a filling gets to be too big, a crown might be required to maintain its structural integrity and appearance.
Crowns can also be an aesthetic or cosmetic treatment to improve the look or colour of the tooth.
We use different materials to ensure your crown looks and functions the way your natural teeth do.
Before a tooth can accommodate a crown, it needs to be prepared to the appropriate size and shape. Once the tooth is prepared, the crown is cemented in place, restoring the look and feel of a natural tooth.
Bridges
A bridge is a replacement one or more false teeth. It is held in place by the natural teeth on either side of the gap. Bridges are often used when a patient is missing several teeth in a row, thus “bridging the gap” in the patient’s smile.
A bridge may be necessary to help keep natural teeth from shifting into the space left by missing teeth over time. Patients may have an easier time chewing and smiling with confidence once a bridge has been installed.
The process of installing a bridge depends on how the bridge will be anchored: by crowns, or by implants.
For a crown-supported bridge, the process starts by reshaping the natural teeth on either side of that gap; preparing them to accommodate crowns. Once these teeth (or abutments) have reached the desired shape, the dentist will take an impression of your teeth, which will be sent to the laboratory. The lab technicians use this impression as a template to create your customized bridge.
The bridge will consist of one or more false teeth with a crown on either end. Once the dentist receives your bridge, they will install it by sliding the crowns over the teeth they prepared at your last appointment and cementing them in place.
The process of installing an implant-supported bridge is similar to that of a crown-supported bridge. The major difference is that, while a crown-supported bridge relies on reshaped natural teeth, an implant-supported bridge relies on metal posts that have been surgically implanted into the jaw bone.