A crown is essentially a “cap or a hat” to strengthen a broken or damaged tooth or to improve cosmetics.
Once fitted the crown is cemented to the tooth so it won’t shift or become loose. There are a number of materials that can be used to make a crown, including ceramics or gold alloys. A crown can be designed to match the colour and shape of your existing teeth or change to a new colour or shape.
A bridge is a number of crowns joined together and is used to replace a number of missing teeth. Essentially, the bridge is cemented over your natural teeth on either side of the empty space. This anchors the bridge into position. A bridge is a permanent, non-removable replacement. A bridge can keep your teeth from “shifting” and loosening, thus avoiding additional dental problems in the future. The bridge itself is made out of the same material as crowns and blends in with the natural structure and colour of your regular teeth.
The simplest way to describe a veneer is like a false fingernail placed over the front of the tooth. They are used to change the colour and the shape of teeth and can be made from either ceramics or resins (Injection moulding technique).
Essentially an implant is an artificial tooth root. It can be used to support a single tooth, or a whole group of teeth, or even loose dentures. Implants are essentially screws made out of high-grade titanium, and typically inserted in the jaw-bone. It takes on average about 3 months before a crown, bridges or dentures can be loaded onto the implant.
