Dr Layal Tarhini
Dental Crowns & Bridges in Dubai
A crown covers a tooth that can no longer support itself. A bridge replaces a missing tooth by using the teeth on either side. Both are long-standing, well-understood treatments, and both are worth checking you actually need before starting.
When a crown is considered
Usually when too little sound tooth is left for a filling to be predictable: a large old restoration that keeps failing, a cracked tooth, a heavily worn tooth, or a tooth after root canal treatment that has become brittle.
A crown is not automatically the answer to a big filling. Where enough tooth remains, an onlay or a bonded restoration can cover less and preserve more, and that option is raised where it is realistic.
When a bridge is one of the options
A bridge is one way to replace a single missing tooth or a short gap, particularly where the neighbouring teeth already need crowns for their own reasons.
It is not the only way. An implant leaves the neighbouring teeth untouched; a removable partial denture is simpler and less invasive; and in some situations leaving the gap is a reasonable decision. Which applies depends on the bone, the gums, the neighbouring teeth and what you want to commit to.
The assessment
Examination and X-rays to check the tooth, the root, the surrounding bone and the gum. How your teeth meet is assessed too, because a crown that is beautifully made but high in the bite becomes the reason the tooth hurts.
If there is decay under an old restoration, or a root that needs treating first, that comes before anything is crowned.
Materials and matching
Modern crowns are usually all-ceramic or zirconia, chosen for the position in the mouth and the forces on that tooth. Front teeth are chosen for how light passes through them; back teeth are chosen for strength.
Shade is matched to your own teeth rather than to a whiter target, unless you have decided to whiten first, which is worth doing before rather than after, because a crown cannot be whitened later.
What treatment involves
Typically two stages. The tooth is prepared under local anaesthetic and scanned or impressed, a temporary crown is fitted, and the final crown is tried in, adjusted and cemented at a second visit.
Some sensitivity between appointments is common. If the temporary comes loose, it is worth an unscheduled visit rather than waiting.
Aftercare and longevity
Crowns and bridges are cleaned like natural teeth, with particular attention to the gum line and, for a bridge, underneath the replacement tooth. A night guard is often advised for grinding.
Well-made crowns commonly last many years, and some last far longer, but none is permanent. The tooth underneath can still decay at the margin, and the gum can recede. Regular review is how problems get caught while they are still small.
Common questions
- When does a tooth actually need a crown?
- Generally when there is not enough sound tooth left to hold a filling reliably, or when a tooth is cracked or has become brittle after root canal treatment. If a smaller restoration will hold, that is usually preferable.
- How long do dental crowns last?
- Many last well over a decade, but there is no guaranteed lifespan. Material, position in the mouth, bite forces, grinding and cleaning all affect it. They should be planned as restorations that will need reviewing and eventually replacing.
- Is a bridge better than an implant?
- Neither is better in general. A bridge is quicker and involves no surgery, but it means preparing the neighbouring teeth. An implant leaves them alone but takes longer and needs enough bone. The right answer depends on your specific gap and the teeth around it.
- Will the crown match my other teeth?
- That is the aim, and shade is chosen with you. It is worth deciding about whitening first, because the crown is made in a fixed shade and cannot be lightened afterwards.
- Does the tooth under a crown still need cleaning?
- Yes. The crown cannot decay, but the tooth and the margin where the two meet can. Brushing, cleaning between the teeth and regular check-ups matter just as much as before.
