When a simple filling is not enough to restore a badly damaged tooth.
During our lifetime, most people will have a filling or two. The lucky few with naturally resilient teeth may, with the addition of good oral care, avoid these, but for most of us, fillings are a likely consequence of our daily eating habits, especially if we have a sweet tooth!
At Beau Monde Dental Care, our patients have the benefit of being able to have tooth coloured fillings to replace the dark coloured amalgam ones that are commonly used to fill a tooth and which can spoil an otherwise healthy smile.
These tooth coloured fillings have improved greatly over the years and offer a level of strength almost equal to that of amalgam. Even this improvement though may not be sufficient if a tooth has been badly broken or decayed and there is insufficient natural tooth remaining for the filling to bond to.
Dental Crowns
In such cases as these, there are two options available to our Bristol dental patients. In some cases, the tooth coloured ‘filling’ can still be used in the form of an onlay, or inlay. These are useful for larger fillings and are produced at a dental laboratory based on scans and x-rays that we take.
Whether these can be used though will need to be decided by one of our experienced local dentists who will be able to advise if your broken tooth is suitable.
In cases where they are not, the best option available is likely to be a dental crown. These have been used for many years and are an effective method of repairing a badly damaged or decayed tooth.
To fit a dental crown, the tooth will need to be prepared. In cases of decay, this is first removed and the tooth will then be shaped to enable a crown to be attached efficiently. Impressions are then taken and these are sent to a laboratory for the crown to be prepared.
Depending on the situation, a temporary crown may be fitted during the waiting period for your convenience and to protect the prepared tooth from any damage.
Once the crown has been produced, we will contact you to arrange an appointment where the crown can be fitted. This is done by removing the temporary crown and then attaching the new crown, using dental cement to hold it firmly in place.
Root Canal
Whilst crowns are commonly used for broken teeth, they are also used to complete a root canal procedure where the tooth has been hollowed out to remove the infected soft inner parts. Whilst this is then filled, it does leave the tooth weaker and a crown fitted to the top of a root-filled tooth will give it extra strength for normal use.
Generally speaking, a crown should be expected to last anywhere between ten and fifteen years. At Beau Monde Dental Care we are also pleased offer a two year guarantee on all crowns fitted at your local Bristol dental practice.