What are Crowns, Porcelain Crowns, Veneers, Onlays, Inlays, Fixed Bridges, and Partials?
All these procedures can improve your smile and require two or three appointments. Crowns are made of gold or tooth-colored porcelain fused over metal for strength. Crowns look just like teeth and are cemented over prepared teeth. Porcelain crowns are the same, except they have no metal support below the porcelain for strength, but are more cosmetic, as they reflect light more naturally and don’t have metal to make them appear a little gray, especially at the gum line. They are for teeth that need quite a bit of correction of shape or color. They should generally not be used where the bite is heavy, as in back molars or for people who clench. Veneers are just like porcelain crowns, but just cover the front of the teeth and are for teeth that do not need as much correction. Onlays and inlays are porcelain fillings for back teeth. A fixed bridge, which can not be removed by you, is a group of crowns made together that fit over support teeth and have one or more replacement teeth. They lo
