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Dental Crowns & Bridges
A crown is a cover made to fit over a tooth. It restores the tooth to its shape, size and function when a filling is no longer enough. A bridge replaces one or more missing teeth with artificial teeth held by the teeth, or the implants, on either side of the gap. At Winnetka Dental Arts, Dr. Warga designs every crown and bridge himself.
When a Crown Is Recommended
A crown may be recommended to:
- Strengthen a tooth that has a large filling and too little tooth left to hold it
- Protect a weak or cracked tooth from breaking, or restore one that has already broken
- Rebuild a tooth that is badly worn
- Cover a tooth that is badly shaped or discolored
- Hold a bridge in place
- Complete a dental implant
Not every damaged tooth needs one. After a comprehensive exam, we will tell you plainly whether a crown, a smaller restoration or no treatment at all is right for the tooth.
Designed for One Tooth, by Dr. Warga
Each crown is designed for the tooth it will cover and the mouth it will work in, and the design begins under the crown. From the core of the tooth up, or from a core build-up where a tooth has too little left of its own to hold a crown, Dr. Warga designs the foundation the crown rests on, so that the crown can serve you as long as possible.
We take a 3D digital impression of your teeth, and a first design is drawn from it by computer. Dr. Warga then adjusts or redraws that design himself: the margins, where the edge of the crown meets your tooth, which he customizes for a tight fit; the shape of the crown; its contacts with the neighboring teeth; and the way it meets the teeth opposite. The design is not left to the laboratory or to the software. Your crown is then made by a dental laboratory chosen for its materials and craftsmanship.
Made for Your Bite
How a crown meets the teeth opposite matters as much as how it looks. Dr. Warga’s emphasis is occlusal (bite) function, the way the teeth meet and move against each other, and each crown is designed and adjusted with that in mind. Where teeth are excessively worn, crowns can be one part of equilibration (bite adjustment), together with bonded fillings.
Your Visits
A crown is usually completed in two visits.
- At the first visit, the tooth is shaped to make room for the crown, a 3D digital impression is taken, and a temporary crown is placed to protect the tooth while your permanent crown is designed and made.
- At the second visit, the temporary is removed, the fit, the color and the bite of the new crown are checked, and the crown is cemented in place.
It is important that the temporary crown stays in place while the permanent one is being made. If it loosens or comes off, please call or text the office to have it re-cemented. Your gums and the tooth may be tender for a while afterward.
Why Your Crown Is Not Made in a Day
A crown can be made in a single visit: it is designed on a screen and milled in the office from a block of ceramic, which saves a second appointment. Ours are made another way. Each crown gets the design described above, and a dental laboratory can work in a wider range of materials than a mill in an office.
With the materials used and the level of design that goes into each crown, craftsmanship of this kind cannot always be done in a day. Until your crown is ready, a temporary crown protects the tooth.
What Crowns Are Made Of
Crowns are made of ceramic or porcelain, of metal alloys, or of porcelain fused to metal. Which is right depends on the tooth: a back tooth takes heavier chewing forces, and a front tooth shows when you smile. Our laboratories are chosen for their materials, and we will tell you what we recommend for your tooth and why.
Bridges: Replacing a Missing Tooth
A bridge fills the gap left by a missing tooth with an artificial tooth joined to crowns on the teeth beside it. A dental implant replaces the tooth on its own and leaves the neighboring teeth as they are, and implants can also support a bridge where several teeth are missing. Dr. Warga places implants himself, in our office, so either choice is planned in one place. Which suits you depends on the neighboring teeth, the bone and your bite.
Looking After a Crown
Our goal is dentistry that serves you for a lifetime. Many of our patients still wear crowns Dr. Warga placed decades ago. A crowned tooth is brushed and flossed like any other, and each restoration is checked at your periodic exams.
To ask about a crown or a bridge, call or text us at (847) 441-6510.
Questions About Crowns and Bridges
Have a question that is not here? Call or text us at (847) 441-6510.
How many visits does a crown take?
Usually two. At the first, the tooth is shaped, a 3D digital impression is taken and a temporary crown is placed. At the second, the temporary is removed, the fit, the color and the bite of the new crown are checked, and the crown is cemented in place.
Do you make same-day crowns?
Our crowns are not made in a single visit. A same-day crown is designed on a screen and milled in the office from a block of ceramic. Each of ours is designed for one tooth by Dr. Warga, who adjusts or redraws the design himself, and is made by a dental laboratory chosen for its materials and craftsmanship. With the materials used and the level of design that goes into each crown, that cannot always be done in a day, so you wear a temporary crown until yours is ready.
What is the difference between a crown and a bridge?
A crown covers a single tooth to restore its shape, size and function. A bridge replaces one or more missing teeth: an artificial tooth is joined to crowns on the teeth beside the gap, or is supported by dental implants.
How long does a crown last?
That depends on the tooth, on your bite and on how the crown is cared for, and no one can promise a number of years. Our goal is dentistry that serves you for a lifetime, and many of our patients still wear crowns Dr. Warga placed decades ago. Each restoration is checked at your periodic exams.
What should I do if my temporary crown comes off?
Please call or text the office at (847) 441-6510 to have it re-cemented. It is important that the temporary crown stays in place while the permanent one is being made. Our crowns and bridges after care instructions have the rest.
Is a crown or a veneer right for my tooth?
A veneer is a thin shell bonded to the front of a tooth. A crown covers the whole tooth. Which is right depends on how much of the tooth is sound and on your bite, and we will tell you after a comprehensive exam. Our veneers page has more.
Can a tooth with a crown still get a cavity?
Yes. The tooth under a crown is still a natural tooth, and decay can begin where the crown meets it. A crowned tooth is brushed and flossed like any other and is checked at your periodic exams.