A dental crown is a covering for a damaged tooth. Dental crowns can be made of metal, porcelain or zirconium. Crowns are a good long-term solution for decayed, cracked or worn teeth. Crowns cover the tooth, protecting the weakened tooth against incoming forces and keeping it whole.

It usually takes two appointments for a crown to be made, and this is the sequence of procedures:

First appointment:

The tooth to be crowned is filled if necessary.

The tooth is cut and reduced in size.

Measurements are taken from the teeth with impression material and sent to the laboratory.

Second appointment:

The crown from the laboratory is placed in the mouth.

The harmony of the crown with other teeth is checked.

After the necessary adjustments are made, the crown is fixed to the tooth with special adhesives.

Once a crown has been fitted, it should last 5 to 15 years or more if proper care and hygiene procedures are carried out. You should brush and floss a tooth with a crown just like any other tooth.

When one or more teeth are missing, a bridge can be made by taking support from the teeth adjacent to the missing teeth.

As the name suggests, a dental bridge is meant to fill the gap left by missing teeth. A bridge is usually fixed to the natural teeth at either end of the gap.

A bridge is usually made of porcelain or zirconium to resemble natural teeth and should be brushed and flossed regularly. Special floss is available for cleaning under bridges.

This is the process for having a dental bridge made:

At the first appointment, the teeth on either side of the bridge are filed down and an impression is taken of your mouth. A temporary bridge can be made to fill the gap.

At the second appointment, the permanent bridge will be fitted. Small adjustments are made so that the bridge matches the other teeth. The bridge is then cemented in place.

A well-made bridge can last for decades, but 5 to 15 years is a reasonable expectation.

Dental implants are the best option to compensate for a missing tooth.

Implants are placed in the jawbone. A crown or bridge can then be built on top of the implant.

When one or more teeth are missing, the use of implants to compensate for missing teeth gives us two advantages.

First, the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth will not be treated, so those teeth will be protected.

Secondly, bone thinning occurs in the area of the extracted tooth over time and when implants are needed in the future, implants cannot be placed without bone augmentation methods. However, when implants are preferred instead of dental bridges in case of tooth loss, the implant ensures the preservation of the bone in that area and the bone resorption seen in the routine does not occur.

When the number of lost teeth increases, different prostheses are made. These prostheses are also called dentures.

The extent of tooth loss and your preference will help determine the best type of denture for you. The most common types of dentures are:

Complete dentures (total dentures, palatal dentures):

Complete dentures are made when all teeth are lost and must be removed daily for cleaning.

With the loss of all teeth, the jaw bones will eventually fuse. When this happens, full dentures become difficult to use. They may move or come off while eating or talking. In this case, they can be glued with denture adhesives (Corega). Corega denture adhesives are applied in a thin strip after the denture has been cleaned and dried, avoiding the edges of the denture. The prosthesis is placed in the mouth and pressed for a few seconds to hold it in place.

Removable partial dentures (partial dentures):

Partial dentures are made when some of the teeth are lost. These prostheses are inserted and removed with the support of other teeth using clasps (hooks). The appearance of the clasps can be uncomfortable because they are metal. In this case, another alternative is dentures with sensitive retainers (snap fasteners). Since the retaining part is inside the teeth in precision-retained dentures, it does not look like metal hooks and provides an aesthetic appearance.

Dentures are one of the best options for replacing your missing teeth. Among all types of dentures, implant-supported dentures are considered the best and safest option for people who want to replace all missing teeth and improve their natural chewing and smiling abilities.

Implant-supported removable dentures:

As teeth are extracted, the jaw bones erode over time. Long-term use of incompatible removable dentures also contributes to the resorption of jaw bones over time. In such cases, the use of removable full dentures also becomes difficult. The prostheses constantly move in the mouth and the person has difficulty eating and speaking.

In people with jawbone resorption, implant-supported removable prostheses can be made with 2-4 implants. The prosthesis sitting on the implants does not move as before and the person can eat easily and talk and laugh without fear of the prosthesis coming off. These prostheses must be removed and cleaned after each meal.

Implant-supported fixed prostheses:

When teeth are completely lost, a completely fixed prosthesis can be made by placing 6-8 implants in each jaw depending on the condition of the jawbone. Fixed prostheses made in this way give the closest feeling to real teeth in individuals who have completely lost their teeth. Prostheses made in this way offer comfort as well as function, phonetics and aesthetics.

Implant-supported fixed prostheses can also be made in several pieces. They can also be made as a single piece (hybrid prosthesis). Cleaning of these prostheses is also very important for the implants to serve for many years in a healthy way.

With the loss of teeth, some people have a lot of bone loss, especially in the back of the jaw. In this case, fixed prosthesis can be made by placing only 4 implants in each jaw using the existing bone in the front part of the jaws.

With the All On 4 dental implant procedure, the posterior implants are tilted 45° towards the back of the mouth and placed in the front area of the jaw, which has a higher bone density.