Dental Crowns and Bridges

Dental Crowns

Patients can typically resume your normal activities within 2 hours following the procedures.

Bridges

You should be able to resume normal daily activities within a few hours.

Dental Crowns

We use a local anaesthetic to numb the area before we start any work on your tooth. This will help minimise any painful sensations. During the procedure, you should not feel any pain or discomfort.

However, if your tooth has an existing infection and has not undergone root canal treatment, you may experience some mild sensitivity. Take the medication prescribed by our dentist, and this discomfort should subside.

Dental Bridges

Before the procedure, we use local anaesthesia to numb the gums. After the procedure, you should not feel any pain or discomfort. You may experience mild sensitivity to extreme hot or cold temperatures in the mouth for a few weeks after the bridge is attached. This should subside and you should be able to enjoy ice cream and hot soup again very soon.

Depending on which tooth you are making a crown for, whether you have allergies to certain metals, whether you want a natural-looking tooth and how long you expect it to last before replacing it, you have various materials to choose from. Dental crowns can be made up of metals, porcelain, ceramic, resin, or a combination of materials. Speak to our dentist to find out what is most suitable.

Your crown can last 8 to 12 years if you take good care of it. Make sure you clean between your crowns and teeth, and floss to remove plaque from the crown area where your gum meets your tooth. Lastly, don’t forget to return for regular check-ups at our NTUC Health Denticare clinics.

Crowns are used to strengthen your teeth if they are weak. If one of your teeth has part of its structure damaged by decay or fracture, crowns are a good solution to restore your teeth to their normal shape and size. If your tooth is cracked, the crown holds the tooth together.

On the other hand, veneers are thin porcelain coverings that are bonded onto the outer front of the teeth.

Temporary dental crowns are used as a short-term fix until a permanent crown is ready to be fitted on the tooth. When you have a temporary crown, avoid sticky, chewy and hard food which could dislodge or break the crown. Minimize use of the side of your mouth with the temporary crown and try to chew on the other side of your mouth.

In the past, metal was the main material used to make crowns and this often showed through, creating a dark edge. Now, crowns are made of high-quality porcelain which blends with the colour of your natural teeth.

Generally, your teeth next to the missing teeth must be in good health and you need to have healthy gums. If healthy adjacent teeth are not available, there are alternatives such as dental implants. Sometimes, root canal treatment may be recommended when there is extensive tooth decay.

You will need to carefully brush and floss all areas around the bridge, daily. Use a floss called “Superfloss”, specially developed to care for dental bridges. It can go underneath the pontic and keep your gum tissue healthy. On top of this daily care routine, do visit us every 6 months for check-ups.

If you care for them well, your bridges can last you at least 8 to 10 years.

Dental bridges have the potential to be stained by dark and acidic foods. Over-the-counter teeth whitening products may not help in whitening dental bridges, and can even damage the material in your artificial teeth. You can opt to replace your dental bridge at our clinic with that of your choice shade.

Both dental bridges and partial dentures replace missing teeth that have been lost to restore function and bite. Generally, dental bridges may be recommended if you have only one or two teeth missing and want a more permanent solution, while partial dentures may be more suitable if you have multiple lost teeth and want the flexibility of taking it off at night.

There are also differences to costs that you should discuss with our dentist. Regardless of the choice, both solutions will require thorough cleaning to care for them and are important in maintaining a full bite.

Leaving gaps untreated may lead to further deterioration of your oral health. Gum disease and tooth decay are more likely to occur. In addition, empty spaces may cause the teeth to shift out of their proper position. Some people may have difficulty in chewing and speaking when they have missing teeth. These can be overcome with a bridge.

Unlike a denture which you can remove to clean, bridges are cemented to your teeth and cannot be removed at home.