Dental crowns and bridges at Tooth n Care East Maitland

Crowns & Bridges

Full coverage, and fixed replacement

A crown caps a weakened tooth to hold it together. A bridge uses the teeth either side of a gap to carry a replacement tooth between them.

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When It’s Needed

A crown or bridge may be needed

A tooth is cracked, or a cusp has broken away
A filling has become so large that the remaining walls are thin
A back tooth has had root canal treatment and needs protecting from splitting
A tooth is worn short from years of grinding
An old crown has failed, or decay has crept in beneath it
You’re missing a tooth and the teeth either side already need crowns — the classic case for a bridge
You want a fixed replacement but implants aren’t suitable or affordable

At The Appointment

What actually happens

01/

Assessment & planning

X-rays to check the root and bone, an assessment of how much sound tooth remains, and a discussion of materials. For a bridge we also check whether the supporting teeth are strong enough to carry the load.

02/

Preparation

Under local anaesthetic, the tooth is reduced by one to two millimetres all round to make space for the crown. For a bridge, both supporting teeth are prepared the same way.

03/

Scan & temporary

A digital scan or impression, a shade match, then a temporary crown while the laboratory makes the final one — usually two weeks. Temporaries are deliberately weakly cemented, so treat them gently.

04/

Fitting

The permanent crown is tried in, checked for fit, contact and shade, and the bite adjusted before it’s cemented. We’ll floss around it with you so you know how to clean it.

Afterwards

Recovery & aftercare

Avoid sticky or hard food while wearing a temporary — toffee will pull it straight off.
Floss carefully around a temporary crown: pull the floss out sideways rather than up.
Some gum tenderness and cold sensitivity after fitting is normal for a few days.
If the bite feels high, come back for an adjustment rather than waiting for it to settle.
Clean under a bridge daily with superfloss or an interdental brush — this is the single biggest factor in how long it lasts.
A night splint is strongly recommended if you grind.

A dental crown being fitted at Tooth n Care

Alternatives We’d Also Discuss

Other ways to go

A large filling or onlay

Where enough sound tooth remains, an onlay covers only the damaged part and preserves more of your own tooth than a full crown.

A dental implant

For a single gap with healthy neighbours, an implant avoids cutting down two perfectly good teeth. More expensive and slower, but conservative.

A partial denture

Removable and much cheaper, useful as an interim or where several gaps exist. Less stable and takes adjusting to.

Single-visit CEREC crown

Same clinical result for most cases, scanned and milled here and fitted the same day. No temporary, no second appointment — and while it’s made you can relax in a massage chair in your own private room, or enjoy a coffee from the premium machine in our waiting area.

Risks & Considerations

The honest downsides

No treatment is risk-free, and you should hear this before you decide rather than afterwards.

Preparing a tooth for a crown is irreversible — that tooth will need a crown for the rest of its life.
Around one in ten crowned teeth eventually needs root canal treatment, as preparation can irritate the nerve.
For a bridge, two healthy teeth are cut down to replace one missing tooth. If those teeth are pristine, that is a real cost worth weighing against an implant.
A bridge is harder to clean than separate teeth, and decay under a bridge abutment is a common reason for failure.
Crowns and bridges typically last ten to fifteen years or more, but they are not permanent and replacement is a further cost.
Porcelain can chip, particularly in grinders, and porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns can show a dark line if gums recede.
Temporary crowns can come off — keep the crown and call us rather than gluing it yourself.
If a bridge fails, the consequences often extend to both supporting teeth rather than just one.

Cost & health funds

Cost varies with material and whether it’s a single crown or a multi-unit bridge. Most health funds rebate on major dental, though annual limits are commonly reached with one crown — we can help you time treatment across calendar years. Interest-free payment plans are available (lending criteria, fees and T&Cs apply).

Fees & payment plans →

Get a written plan

Before anything starts you’ll have a written treatment plan with costs, inclusions and any conditions spelled out, plus an estimate of your health fund rebate checked at the desk.

Book an assessment →

This information is general in nature and is not a substitute for personalised advice from a registered dental practitioner. Any dental or surgical procedure carries risks. Individual results vary. Before proceeding with treatment we encourage you to ask questions and, if you wish, seek a second opinion from a qualified health practitioner.