A dental crown is a covering that is placed over the affected tooth. The tooth is prepared by removing any decayed area and shaping the tooth to be capped. The cap is then cemented in place to protect the tooth for years to come. Dental crowns can also be used as reinforcement for a tooth that has been badly cracked or broken, as well as sealing a tooth after a root canal.

Crowns are used in many situations to:

• Replace a large filling when there isn't enough tooth remaining
• Protect a weak tooth from fracturing
• Restore a fractured tooth
• Cover a dental implant
• Cover a discolored or poorly shaped tooth
• Cover a tooth that has had root canal treatment

A dental bridge is a device that uses adjoining teeth as anchors to hold an artificial tooth in the place of a missing one. Bridges can be used to replace one or multiple missing permanent teeth in order to avoid more serious problems, such as shifting, bone loss and periodontal disease, often associated with missing teeth. Bridges are cemented to the natural teeth or implants surrounding the empty space. These teeth, called abutments, serve as anchors for the bridge. A replacement tooth, called a pontic, is attached to the crowns that cover the abutments.