Crowns, bridges and veneers

Dental crowns

The role of a dental crowns is to replace the visible (possibly damaged) parts of teeth, cover and protect them. They can be used to restore and function, shape and appearance of the tooth. Crowns can also restore or even improve occlusion – the way how teeth contact with the opposing ones. If a tooth has a large filling, fitting of a crown can prevent the fracture of the remaining but weakened tooth material. A dental crown can be also used to cover a discoloured tooth or align crooked teeth thus improve one’s smile.

Smile Designers dental clinic offers a whole range of dental crowns according personal goals and needs:

Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crown

This is the traditional type of crowns. It is composed of a metal frame and a porcelain cover. Metallic parts are not visible, they are completely covered by white ceramics.

What kind of metal do they consist of?

• Alloy mainly containing chrome, but without nickel (or other allegens): it doesn’t invoke allergy;
• Alloy mainly containing gold: better fitting thus crowns made of this are very durable. Disadvantage: price of gold means an extra expense.

Additionally, a porcelain shoulder can be realised which prevents the appearance of the thin greyish lines at the gums in the case of a possible gum retraction.

Zircon-ceramics crown

Ceramics crown with ziconium-dioxide reinforcement. The structure is similar to the one of the PFM crowns – the only difference is the composition of the frame: it is made of white zirconium-dioxide instead of the greyish metal alloy. Zirconium crowns are more transparent to the light than PFM crowns thus the results are more natural and aesthetic, especially in the front (incisor) region. The zirconium frame is solid so it can be used to realise dental bridges as well.

Full porcelain crowns (E.Max)

Full porcelain crowns give the most natural results since their material is the closest to the optical nature of teeth. This is a solid and durable material, but it is used for only single dental crowns or veneers in most cases, and not for dental bridges.

Dental veneers (E.max)

Dental veneers are made of 100% porcelain. A veneer is a ceramic film for the purpose of changing the color and / or shape of a tooth. The veneers let us to correct minor cosmetic imperfections. Their advantage is that we have to cut less tooth material compared to the preparation of a dental crown. 100% porcelain veneers provide the best aesthetic result with a natural look.

Dental bridges

The bridge is tooth replacement made of several units of false teeth. It can replace one or more missing teeth, supported by neighboring teeth or implants, one on each side.  The bridge is cemented and it is a fixed solution. We recommend this type of tooth replacement when the pillar teeth (or implants) are in good condition and stable enough to support the bridge. Indeed, if one of the pillars can no longer fulfill its function then we must remove the entire bridge. That’s why we use more implants and fewer bridges than in the past.

Constitution of dental bridge:

Porcelain-fused-to-metal: the frame is made of metal and helps strengthen the bridge. It is then covered completly with  ceramic so the patient gets teeth that look natural. The frame is made of an alloy of chromium (without nickel) or a gold alloy that makes it easier to adjust the bridge and increases its durability.

Zircon ceramic: the frame is made of zirconia oxide and its resistance is close to that of metal. It is white and its appearance is similar to glass. This material provides the best results with a natural look.