Crowns and bridges

Enamel, the outside coating of a tooth, is shaped in a ‘crown’ at the top of the tooth, and is very hard. However, physical injury and/or decay will damage the enamel.

An artificial crown can be placed over a tooth to ‘replace’ the natural crown, to restore function and appearance. The appearance of crowns is matched to your existing teeth.

In some cases, crowns are not an option – for example, if a tooth is completely lost or severely decayed. In such cases Wolf may suggest a ‘bridge’ instead.

A bridge contains artificial teeth and crowns around the artificial teeth, as required. The crowns cover the teeth that are good candidates for crown treatment, while the artificial teeth replace the missing teeth that can’t be crowned. Both bridges and crowns can be made of a variety of materials depending on their function and where they are to be located. Typically they are made of zirconia, precious metal, or porcelain.