Dental Crowns & Bridges in Lethbridge

What are Crowns?

Porcelain crowns are a natural-looking option for replacing the upper portion of a tooth that has been too damaged to repair with a filling or dental bonding. Porcelain crowns may be used after endodontic (root canal) procedures, and to replace the visible portion of the tooth in dental implant procedures.

How porcelain crowns work

Porcelain crowns are used to replace the upper portion of teeth that have suffered serious damage but still have undamaged roots. The porcelain crown, a tough, durable, natural-looking replacement for the visible portion of the tooth, can be anchored securely in place, leaving you with a tooth that looks and performs like a natural tooth.

Custom sculpted using special, dental grade porcelain; porcelain crowns recreate the natural shape, colour, size, texture, and translucency of natural teeth.

The porcelain crown process

The process for porcelain crowns takes place in three parts: Preparation of the tooth, creating the porcelain crown, and affixing the porcelain crown.

During the first step, your damaged tooth will be prepared. In many cases, this involves endodontic (root canal) procedures to stabilize and treat damage. All decayed material will be removed from the tooth, and the tooth will be shaped to create an anchor for your crown.

Once this is complete, we will take a precise custom mold of your tooth, which we will use to create your new porcelain crown. After the mold has been taken, a temporary crown will be placed on your tooth so that you can use it just like normal.

It takes a couple weeks to create your new, custom porcelain crown. When it has been created, we will invite you back to our office so that we can carefully fit it to your tooth, ensuring that the look and feel are right.

Once properly fitted, we will use a specially formulated dental adhesive to permanently affix your new porcelain crown to your tooth. We will make any necessary adjustments to ensure that the fit and appearance of your new crown are just right, then we will polish your new porcelain crown to a smooth, natural-looking finish.

Often crowns are used for teeth that have developed fractures.

What are Bridges?

A bridge is a dental restoration that can replace one or more missing teeth.

The bridge would extend across a section that has no teeth and is made of an artificial tooth fused between two crowns. Your own teeth hold the bridge in place.

Custom sculpted using special, dental grade porcelain; porcelain crowns recreate the natural shape, colour, size, texture, and translucency of natural teeth.

Why consider a dental bridge?

• Fill space of missing teeth
• Maintain facial shape
• Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position
• Restore chewing and speaking ability
• Restore your smile
• Upgrade from a removable partial denture to a permanent dental appliance