Crowns

When your tooth has too much decay or broken, fillings alone may not be strong enough to withstand the constant impact when you bite or chew.  The dentist may consider using a crown to protect the tooth.  

A crown is a cosmetic restoration that is like a cap cemented over the existing tooth and cover the portion of the tooth above the gum line.  Crowns can be made of porcelain and/or metal, and even zirconium.  Porcelain crowns are the most common due to the fact that the crown can be made to closely match teeth colour and translucency.  

The dentist will prepare the tooth for the crown, take an impression of the whole mouth, and then a temporary crown is placed to protect the tooth.  The impression is then sent to a lab where they will make and shape the crown to match your mouth.  Once the crown is complete and sent back, the dentist will then test fit the crown and if OK, cement the crown in.  

Bridges

A bridge is used to replace missing teeth with artificial teeth.  Bridges will span across the gap where one or more teeth are missing.  Like crowns, a bridge can be made of porcelain, and/or metal such as gold or another alloy.  A bridge will then bond to adjacent existing teeth.