Some of the most common dental injuries occur when patients crack or break a tooth. This often happens while undertaking physical activity or can be the result of a head trauma, such as a car crash. Apart from being painful, these types of dental injury can also need complex cosmetic dental procedures to fix them. With cracks and breaks, dental bonding and fillings are sometimes insufficient, especially if the injury is quite severe, and in these instances a dental crown is the only option to save the tooth.
Dental crowns, or caps as they are sometimes known, can also be used to repair extensive damage to teeth caused by tooth decay. If the tooth has decayed to the point that it cannot support a filling, then it will need to crowned to protect it from further damage and ultimately tooth loss. Crowns are also used after root canal procedures when they are cemented in place to prevent any further infection and to restore the appearance of a natural tooth.
Before resorting to a crown, the dentist will always explore all the other possible avenues. This is because to apply a crown, a dentist will need to grind down the existing tooth to make it small enough to receive a crown and the adhesive cement. Once the tooth has been ground, it cannot repair itself and a crown must be worn there for life. Dentists use crowns when there is no other alternative and the integrity of the tooth has been damaged so badly as to leave no other option.
Various materials are used in the manufacture of crowns. They are usually made from porcelain, a form of ceramic, or alternatively a porcelain-metal alloy. These give the most realistic appearance and can be made from porcelain selected specifically to match the existing teeth of the patient. However, for the more extroverted, there is the option to have a crown made of gold or silver.
When fitting a crown, a dentist will first take a mould and x-ray of the patient’s teeth. Then using the very latest in 3D computer technology, they can produce an image of the teeth on a computer. This allows the manufacturing process to be incredibly accurate and means the crown can be designed to fit perfectly over the damaged tooth. If looked after correctly, with appropriate brushing and flossing, a crown can last between ten and fifteen years. Visit a Leeds dentist if you have a damaged or decayed tooth and would like to restore its natural appearance.
For patients suffering from a missing tooth or teeth, one cosmetic procedure that can restore the appearance of a full set is a 
Sometimes in dentistry it is the most basic and routine procedures that can make all the difference. It doesn’t have to be a painful 
A lot has been written about dental amalgam fillings over the past few years and it is difficult to ascertain what is true and what is simply scaremongering. Dental amalgam fillings are strong and durable alloy fillings, usually comprised of a mix of 46 to 57 per cent silver and 43 to 54 per cent liquid mercury. Amalgam fillings, often referred to as silver fillings, were invented in France in the 1800s and have been used all over the world to fill cavities in patients teeth. In more recent years, amalgam fillings have been replaced in many areas by composite resin fillings. These resin filings have the advantage of being tooth coloured and therefore don’t stand out as much as silver fillings.
Are you frustrated or embarrassed by a small defect or flaw in your teeth such as a chip or crack? If you suffer from minor but still visible faults in your teeth such as grooves, worn edges or overlapping then you might be able to save your smile using a process called tooth contouring.
Until the advent of composite resin fillings, or white fillings as they are more commonly known, patients had little choice but to have unseemly amalgam fillings. These amalgam fillings, invented in France in the early 1800s, had been widely used around the world to fill dental cavities. Made form an alloy of silver and mercury, these amalgam fillings, while very strong, were very noticeable in the mouth. They also expanded over time causing further damage to teeth and were notoriously difficult to fit, with dentists often having to inflict unnecessary damage on teeth to fix them. More concerning is the controversy that surrounds amalgam fillings with regards poisonous and dangerous mercury vapours that are released into the body when placed and during eating. Although this has never been resolutely confirmed it is enough of a concern to many patients to want to have them replaced.
Dentistry has made enormous strides in the last twenty years, both in terms of technology and treatment. The intimidating surgeries of the past are no more and today dental surgeries resemble health spas more than hospitals. Technological advances have also greatly improved the accuracy and speed of treatment and none more so than the advent of 
Teeth can often become stained over the course of the years, either due to lifestyle choices like smoking, drinking red wine and coffee or simply as part of the aging process. Yellow or brown stained teeth can appear very unattractive and can be the source of considerable embarrassment that will stop you smiling.
When a tooth becomes infected in its root, it becomes necessary to remove the root in order to save the tooth and prevent the spread of infection. This process is called a 
