Crowns, Bridges, Implants

Have your bite or smile restored.

Whether you have a missing tooth, worn teeth, or need a full mouth reconstruction, Dr Cluer achieves durable, natural-looking restorations, every time.

Crowns

Restore damaged, worn or broken teeth with durable tooth-coloured ceramic crowns.

 

A crown is a a cover that sits over a damaged tooth, improving chewing ability and reducing sensitivity. What you’ll feel and see once it’s fitted, is a beautifully natural tooth which matches your other teeth. You’ll require two appointments, about a week apart.

 

First appointment:

 

  • To achieve a perfect bonding surface for lasting results, it’s necessary to remove a small amount of your tooth. Using both skill and experience, we can keep this to an absolute minimum – always trying to save, not further destroy your teeth.
  • We digitally scan your teeth to create an impression (digital replica of your teeth), take photographs of your mouth, tooth and neighbouring teeth, and select the correct shade. These are sent digitally to our expert laboratory technician who will hand craft your crown.
  • We make and place a temporary crown over your prepared tooth. This is for appearance, functionality, protection and to minimise sensitivity.

 

Second appointment:

 

  • When we receive your crown from the technician, you come in for a fitting. If you’re fully satisfied with the appearance and functionality, we cement the crown onto your tooth.
Digital for faster, more accurate results

Everything the technician requires from us is now digital. This significantly reduces the time between your appointments and dramatically improves the accuracy for perfect fit, shape, shade and bite.

 

Sometimes minor adjustments need to be made but 90% of the time, these can be made by the dentist during your fitting appointment. About one week after your initial appointment, you’ll have a beautiful new tooth!

One or more missing teeth?

You have three options; a bridge, an implant or a denture.

 

Missing teeth can cause more than just unsightly gaps, such as:

 

  • Drifting of teeth – may require braces to fix
  • Bone loss and sunken face
  • Bad bite – leading to possible pain
  • Over-closing – leading to pain, facial changes
  • Gum disease
  • TMJ problems – pain and/or clicking of joints
  • Inefficient chewing for nutrient absorption
Bridges

A bridge removes the hassle of a denture and costs less than an implant.

 

A bridge is used where one or several teeth are missing. There must be two strong teeth on either side of the gap in order to secure the bridge.

 

The bridge is comprised of one or more false teeth plus two crowns. The crowns slide over the two natural teeth on either side of your gap.

 

You’ll require two appointments, about 10 days apart.

 

  • First appointment: We prepare the two natural teeth on either side of your gap. These two teeth will be fitted with crowns (see crowns, above, for details). We digitally design the crowns and false teeth which will make up your bridge, plus choose the colour to accurately match your other teeth. The design and other details are sent to our expert laboratory technician to create your bridge by hand.
  • Second appointment: If you’re satisfied with how it looks and feels, we’ll suspend the bridge by cementing the two crowns onto your teeth. This is completely secure and looks and feels just like natural teeth.

 

Our bridges are ceramic with no metal components.

Bonded bridges

Less costly, tooth conserving

 

In some positions in the mouth, it may be possible to offer you a bonded bridge. This is completely reversible, i.e., no tooth structure is removed from the teeth on either side of the bridge. Whilst a bonded bridge is not as strong as a regular bridge, you might prefer the acme of tooth conserving dentistry. At Bangalow Holistic Dentist, your dentist will always offer you this option if it’s applicable to you.

 

A bonded bridge is only one third the cost of a conventional bridge.

Dental Implants

Before the development of dental implants, the only option for missing teeth was a denture or a bridge. An implant is fixed directly into the jaw bone, so there’s no loss of structure to the two natural teeth on either side of the gap, as occurs when securing a dental bridge. Dental implants look, feel and function, just like natural teeth.

 

An implant is made of two main components; A screw which is fixed into the jaw bone to act as the tooth’s root, and a crown which is fixed to the screw.

 

The process:

 

  • Initial consultation with dentist: Preliminary assessment for suitability, quote for implant retained crown (designed and fitted by dentist at later appointments), referral to specialist Implantologist.
  • First appointment with Implantologist: CT scan for final assessment of suitability, quote for surgical implanting and discussion about any other requirements.
  • Second appointment with Implantologist: Surgical implantation of screw and placement of healing cap.
  • Third appointment with Implantologist: Final stability test, and referral back to our dentist.
  • First appointment with dentist: Taking of impression, designing the implant retained crown, taking photographs, selecting shade and biocompatible materials. Details sent to our laboratory technician for expert crafting.
  • Second appointment with dentist: Fitting the implant retained crown to the screw.

 

Note: Zirconium is the most biocompatible option for an implant, although in some cases a titanium screw might be necessary, i.e., zirconium can’t be used for back teeth.

 

Implants aren’t suitable when advanced gum disease is present.