Crowns, Bridges, Veneers & Lumineers

Crowns are synthetic caps made of porcelain, ceramic, gold or a combination thereof. They are fabricated in a lab to esthetically fit the shape, shade, bite of your mouth specifically. The crown is then cemented over your tooth as a permanent restoration. The reasons a crown may be required can vary, however the goal of the restoration is to restore a tooth’s function and strength. Crowns are also used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or restore a tooth with extensive decay. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use, and are applied when a discolored, worn down or stained tooth needs to be restored to a natural appearance.

All-ceramic crowns are the most recent advancement in the field of crown and bridge dentistry. All ceramic crowns have an inner dense tooth-colored core, over which porcelain is bonded. The porcelain has excellent light transmitting properties, giving these restorations a very natural appearance. All ceramic crowns lack any metals and create a very natural and esthetic match to adjacent teeth making them nearly impossible to detect!

Bridges are natural-looking dental appliances that can replace single or in some cases multiple missing teeth. Unlike a partial denture, bridges are cemented in place and act and feel like real teeth. Because they are custom-made, bridges are barely noticeable and can restore the natural contour of teeth as well as the proper bite relationship between upper and lower teeth.

Veneers can be used to change the color and shape of teeth in moderation. Only a small amount of the outer surface of the tooth must be removed in order for a veneer to be placed, thus making this a more conservative approach to brightening and changing one’s smile. Veneers cover only the front part of a tooth. They offer a painless way to permanently whiten and perfectly align your smile. Before placement, we will discuss with you your new smile design and the specific esthetics desires you may have. The thickness of the veneer will depend upon the esthetic outcome desired as well as the natural shape, placement and color of the tooth/teeth.

Lumineers are a type of veneers that are fabricated to be contact lens thin. Lumineers can be applied to teeth with almost no grinding, shaving, or anesthetic. This allows us to transform your teeth into a naturally beautiful smile that looks flawless. Veneers and lumineers are the painless, permanent cosmetic solution for stained, chipped, discolored or misaligned teeth.