VENEERS Dental veneers are a form of cosmetic dentistry in which a shell or layer of tooth-colored porcelain or composite is placed over the facial surfaces of your teeth to correct worn tooth enamel, uneven tooth alignment or spacing, discoloration and chips or cracks. Although dental veneers fall into the category of cosmetic dentistry because they create bright, white smiles with beautifully aligned, shapely teeth, they also protect the surface of damaged teeth and may eliminate the need for more extensive treatments. Other benefits of veneers include durability, an improved smile appearance, and the need for little-to-no removal of tooth structure compared to crowns.

Dental crowns:

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth to cover the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and improve its appearance. The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.

Why Is a Dental Crown Needed? A DENTAL CROWN MAY BE NEEDED IN THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS:

– To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth -To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down -To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth left -To hold a dental bridge in place -To cover misshapened or severely discolored teeth -To cover a dental implant -To make a cosmetic modification

Porcelain-fused-to-metaldental crowns can be color matched to your adjacent teeth (unlike the metallic crowns). However, more wearing to the opposing teeth occurs with this crown type compared with metal or resin crowns. The crown’s porcelain portion can also chip or break off. Next to all-ceramic crowns, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns look most like normal teeth. However, sometimes the metal underlying the crown’s porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line and even more so if your gums recede. These crowns can be a good choice for front or back teeth.

All-resin dental crowns are less expensive than other crown types. However, they wear down over time and are more prone to fractures than porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.

All-ceramic or all-porcelain dental crowns provide better natural color match than any other crown type and may be more suitable for people with metal allergies. However, they are not as strong as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns and they wear down opposing teeth a little more than metal or resin crowns. All-ceramic crowns are a good choice for front teeth.

Dental bridges There are three primary types of dental bridges, but the concept behind all of them is the same: Either one or several artificial teeth known as pontics are placed in the mouth and anchored to implanted posts or neighboring teeth (known as abutments). They literally bridge a space between two teeth.

A fixed bridge contains a crown at either end with one or more false teeth attached between them. The crowns slip over the natural teeth found immediately to the right and left of the gap made by missing teeth, and the bridge’s false teeth rest on the gums. This is a very durable bridge that’s appropriate for placement anywhere in the mouth.

A resin-bonded bridge (also known as a Maryland bonded bridge — contains false teeth that span a gap in the mouth. But in this case, the false teeth are attached via metal bands that are glued to neighboring teeth instead of anchored with crowns. It is a viable option when the anchoring teeth are still in good shape and don’t need to be restored through the crowning procedure. It is also often used in the front of the mouth where the stress is minimal and the metal bands can be hidden behind the teeth. It is a less invasive process, although the bridge itself isn’t as secure as a fixed bridge.

A cantilever bridge:

is similar to a fixed bridge except, instead of anchoring to a tooth on either side of the gap, it attaches to only one tooth. This might be used in the very back of the mouth where there is only one tooth to which the bridge can anchor, or anywhere there is only one healthy tooth to which the bridge can attach.>

Dentures

n cases where for various reasons it is not possible to incorporate fixed prosthetic restorations, removable prosthetic offers an adequate solution. Mobile prosthetic work is any work that the patient can independently removed from the mouth. Removable dentures can be complete (total) or partial (partial). Complete dentures can be anchored to impalants. The advantage of removable dentures is certainly their cost and ease of manufacture.