Crowns & Bridges at Aura in Kingston

A dental Crown is a lab-fabricated restoration, which fully covers a tooth (360 degrees) to improve form, function and aesthetics.

Crowns are an ideal restoration to protect teeth, which have been broken or weakened by decay, a very large filling or a root filling. The crown is made to fit over a prepared tooth, making it strong and protecting it from heavy bite forces, which can cause the tooth to fracture. Crowns are made out of porcelain, metal or both. The most popular and aesthetic are porcelain with a metal free ceramic substructure. Porcelain fused to metal crowns are durable but not as aesthetically pleasing due to the lack of light transmission through the porcelain which is blocked by the internal metal core and black metal margin exposure over time. Crowns are made to match teeth exactly, unless gold is requested.

The procedure usually takes two visits and a local anesthetic is almost always used. The first appointment involves the tooth preparation, records and fitting of the temporary crown. The tooth is prepared to an ideal shape necessary for the crown, leaving a strong inner core. The amount of tooth removed is approximately the same as the thickness of the crown to be fitted. Records of the teeth are taken during the procedure so our highly skilled technician can fabricate the crown. A temporary crown, made of acrylic, is temporarily cemented onto the tooth until the permanent one is ready. The second appointment involves fitting and permanent cementing of the lab-fabricated crown to the tooth.

The tooth preparation for a crown is more aggressive than other restorations (fillings, inlays, onlays and veneers). If the tooth becomes hypersensitive, it may necessitate root canal treatment. Post and core restorations may be used when a tooth has been root filled and broken down to gum level. The post acts as a support structure within the root and anchors the core so a crown can be cemented. These crowns are not as strong as the tooth is more heavily restored.

The longevity of a crown depends on how well it is looked after. The crown itself cannot decay, however, decay can start at the junction of the crown and the tooth. Oral hygiene is very important and a crown should be cleaned just like all natural teeth. Properly cared for crowns will last for 10-20 years.

Bridges are used to replace one or more missing teeth and are an alternative to dentures and implants.

Bridges are effectively crowns or partial crowns with an artificial tooth attached. All teeth associated with the bridge are fused together as a unit. Longer span bridges (4 or more teeth) have a shorter longevity due to risk of fracture. As with crowns, form, function and aesthetics are restored.

Bridges are made out of porcelain, metal or both. The procedure usually takes two visits and a local anesthetic is almost always used. The first appointment involves the tooth preparation, records and fitting of the temporary bridge. The tooth is prepared to an ideal shape necessary for the bridge, leaving a strong inner core. The amount of tooth removed is approximately the same as the thickness of the bridge to be fitted. Records of the teeth are taken during the procedure so our highly skilled technician can fabricate the bridge. A temporary bridge, made of acrylic, is temporarily cemented onto the tooth until the permanent one is ready. The second appointment involves fitting and permanent cementing of the lab-fabricated bridge.

If the tooth becomes hypersensitive, it may necessitate root canal treatment. Post and core restorations may be used when a tooth has been root filled and broken down to gum level. The post acts as a support structure within the root and anchors the core so a bridge can be cemented. These bridges are not as strong as the tooth is more heavily restored.

The longevity of a bridge depends on how well it is looked after. The bridge itself cannot decay, however, decay can start at the junction of the bridge and the tooth. Oral hygiene is very important and a bridge should be cleaned just like all natural teeth. There are special hygiene devices, which help aid cleaning under the bridge. Properly cared for bridges will last for 10-20 years.

Inlays and Onlays

Inlays and Onlays are lab-fabricated fillings made of porcelain or gold. They are stronger than chair-side fillings placed by the dentist but are more expensive due to additional lab costs incurred.