Removable

Permanently Cemented

Process for Making Permanently Cemented Bridges and Crowns

Tooth Bridge and Teeth Crowns in New York City

How Crowns and Bridges are Made

Your dentist reduces the size of the tooth needing a crown using specialized instruments. (The new crown will fit right over the old tooth.) An impression is taken along with a representation of how your upper and lower jaws come together (your "bite registration"). The color (shade) for porcelain crowns and bridges will also be determined by matching your existing natural teeth. The shade, impression and bite registration are sent to the dental laboratory for a crown to be made.

A model (mold) is made from the impression. A wax representation of the metal portion of the crown is carved by hand. The "lost wax" technique is used to process the wax into metal. During this process the wax is melted away and heated metal is placed where the wax once was.

After the metal crown is finished, if the crown is to be just metal, it is ready to go to the dentist and be placed in the patient's mouth. If the crown is to have porcelain placed on it, it may have layers of powdered porcelain baked on before it is sent to the dentist. Sometimes a "try-in" of the metal part without porcelain on it may be done to check for any necessary adjustments.

Once any final adjustments are made to the completed crown, your dentist will cement the crown in place.

All-porcelain crowns are made by layering powdered porcelains which are baked in an oven to fuse the porcelain together. These completed crowns are also cemented in place by your dentist.