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| Crowns: |
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| What Does a Crown Do? |
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| If you have a damaged tooth, but is not lost, a crown or cap can be used to conceal the damaged part of your tooth. A crown guards your tooth from further damage. |
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| Why Do I Need a Crown? |
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| You may need a crown if: |
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you have a root canal |
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you have a large filling in a tooth |
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you have a cracked or damaged tooth |
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your tooth is severely stained, not the right shape, or not inline. |
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| What is a Crown Made of? |
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| Crowns are made of different kinds of metals, porcelain, or porcelain fused to metal. Crowns are strong and can last for about 10 years if they are well taken care of. |
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| How is a Crown Made? |
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| Step 1 |
| Dr. Ramer may make a mold or impression of your tooth to fit a temporary crown. The temporary crown protects your tooth until the permanent crown is ready. Temporary crowns may not have the same color and shape as permanent ones. |
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| Step 2 |
| Dr. Ramer gives you freezing (called a local anesthetic). He will then file down your tooth to make room for the crown and ensure a proper fit in your bite. |
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| Step 3 |
| Another mold or impression is taken of the filed-down tooth and nearby teeth. The temporary crown is placed over your tooth. |
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| Step 4 |
| Dr. Ramer then creates your permanent custom-made crown in his in house lab. The mold of your tooth is used to make a model for the crown. A filling (or restoration) that is the same size and shape as your tooth is built based on the model created. |
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| Step 5 |
| On your next visit, Dr. Ramer takes off the temporary crown and puts on the permanent crown. Then he checks to make sure the crown is the right fit, shape, and color. If it is, Dr. Ramer will then cement the crown into place. Your tooth will look and work just like a natural tooth! |
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| How Do I Take Care of my Crown? |
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| Make sure you brush and floss your crown, just like a natural tooth. Crowns and replacement teeth may not be as strong as your natural teeth, so: |
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do not chew on hard objects |
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do not use your teeth to cut or open anything |
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| Bridges: |
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| What Does a Bridge Do? |
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| Sometimes, a tooth is badly damaged or lost. The good news is bridges restore a badly damaged tooth or replace a lost tooth. |
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| Why Do I Need a Bridge? |
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| If a tooth is lost, it is important to replace it with a false or artificial tooth as soon as possible. This course of action will prevent your remaining teeth from drifting out of line and causing other problems to your gums, bones, and jaw. |
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| What is a Bridge? |
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| A bridge is also called a "fixed partial denture” or a "fixed bridge." A bridge can replace one or more missing teeth and is held firmly in place by your natural teeth on either side of the missing one(s). A bridge is permanent unlike dentures so you cannot take a bridge out |
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| How is a Bridge Made? |
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| Step 1 |
| The teeth on either side of the missing one(s) are prepared for crowns. |
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| Step 2 |
| The false tooth (or teeth) and two crowns are custom-made in Dr. Ramer’s dental lab as one piece. |
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| Step 3 |
| The unit is placed in your mouth with the crowns cemented to your two natural teeth on either side of the missing one(s). |
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| How Do I Take Care of My Bridge? |
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| A bridge lasts for about 10 years, if you take good care of it. We will show you how to use a floss threader to floss under and around the false tooth (or teeth) in the middle of the bridge. |
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