Crowns & Bridges in Duxbury, MA

Damaged, decayed, or fractured teeth can be uncomfortable and threatening to your oral health.  Center for Progressive Dentistry delivers exceptional, natural looking crowns to keep your teeth healthy.

There are several reasons the dentists at Center for Progressive Dentistry may recommend a crown, bridge, or onlay (partial crown).  One common reason is due to the deterioration or fracture of an old filling, often a silver one (amalgam filling). When the amount of missing tooth structure becomes too great to restore with a direct filling, a crown or onlay can be used to restore the tooth properly. 

Placing Dental Crowns

After removing the entire old filling material and unhealthy or decayed tooth structure, a base filling (or core build-up) may be placed.  The tooth is then prepared for the crown by miniaturizing the tooth in all dimensions. This allows room for our crown to slide over the prepared tooth and protect it from further damage. A crown covers the entire tooth, but in some cases, only part of the tooth, usually one or two cusps needs restoring. In this case, an onlay, or partial crown, may be used instead.

The crown procedure takes 2 appointments to complete. On your first appt, we will prepare the tooth, take a mold or impression, and then place a temporary crown. We now have the capability to digitally scan the teeth and virtually send a model to our lab. This eliminates the need for messy impression material. The first visit will be scheduled for about 90 minutes.

The second visit will be approximately 30 minutes, during which the final crown will be cemented to your tooth. It will take approximately two weeks for your crown to return from the lab. With proper home care and regular dental visits, your crown can last many years.

What is a Bridge?

A bridge is when two or more teeth are used as anchors to replace a missing tooth with a prosthetic tooth called a pontic. Most commonly, a three-unit bridge will have one anchor tooth on either side of a space created by a missing tooth. The anchor teeth will be prepared just like they would for a crown.

The final bridge will connect the anchor teeth and although the teeth will appear to be separate, they will all be part of one larger unit. A bridge can also replace more than one missing tooth and is a fixed alternative to dental implants or removable partial dentures.

State-of-the-Art Materials

Center for Progressive Dentistry makes beautiful crowns using the latest and strongest materials.  Today’s porcelain and ceramic crown materials are highly esthetic and stronger than ever.  Our crowns, bridges, and onlays will blend seamlessly with your natural teeth. 

Many of our posterior (back teeth) crowns are made from Zirconia. This new material is over 10 times stronger than previously used crowns, which adhere porcelain to a metal base.  See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZRfQK6Ipb0.  Due to the immense strength of the material, thinner crowns can be made, preserving more of your natural tooth structure.  Despite all these advances in technology, gold crowns and onlays are still the standard by which everything else is judged. 

If you are interested in learning more about our crown and bridge services, want to fix your broken tooth, or cosmetically improve your smile, please call our office and set up a consultation with our doctors.