Restorative
Dental crowns & bridges in Billerica
When a tooth has too little structure left to hold a filling, a crown covers and protects what remains.
When a tooth needs a crown
A filling replaces missing tooth material. It works while there’s enough healthy tooth around it to carry the load. Past a certain point — a large old filling, a crack, a tooth that’s had a root canal — adding more filling material just creates a wedge, and the tooth eventually splits.
A crown does the opposite: it encircles the whole tooth and holds it together under load. This is why one is recommended on back teeth after root canal therapy, and on teeth with cracks that have not yet become fractures.
Common reasons
A cracked or split tooth
Cracks spread under chewing force. Covering the tooth stops the crack before it reaches the root, which is the point past which the tooth can’t be saved.
A large old filling
Large amalgam fillings placed decades ago leave thin walls of enamel that eventually fracture. A crown prevents that.
After a root canal
A treated back tooth is more brittle and requires protection.
A missing tooth (bridge)
A bridge fills a gap by joining to the teeth either side. It’s fixed in place and doesn’t come out.
Cosmetic reasons
A badly shaped or discolored tooth that can’t be fixed with a veneer.
Crown or implant, for a missing tooth
A bridge is quicker and usually less expensive up front, and it’s a good, long-serving restoration. The trade-off is that the healthy teeth on either side have to be filed down to carry it — permanently.
An implant costs more and takes several months, but leaves the neighboring teeth untouched and preserves the bone beneath the gap. Where the teeth on either side are healthy and unrestored, that is a strong argument for the implant. Where they already require crowns, a bridge becomes the more reasonable option.
Common questions
How long does a crown last?
Commonly ten to fifteen years, and often a good deal longer. What usually fails first is not the crown but new decay at its edge — so flossing around it matters.
Does getting a crown hurt?
The tooth is numbed for the preparation appointment. Afterwards it can be sensitive for a few days while it settles.
How many visits does it take?
Traditionally two — one to prepare the tooth and take impressions, wearing a temporary, and one to fit the final crown a couple of weeks later.
What are crowns made of?
Most are all-ceramic or porcelain-fused-to-metal. Ceramic looks better and is the usual choice for anything visible; metal-based crowns are stronger for heavy grinders on back teeth.
Related treatments
Root canal therapy
Clearing infection and keeping your own tooth.
Dental implants
Replacing a tooth root and all, so the bone keeps working.
Emergency dentistry
Same-day whenever we can, for pain, breaks, and swelling.
Have a question about a crown or bridge?
Call and we’ll talk it through — no appointment needed to ask.