By placing a crown on a damaged tooth it provides the tooth with its natural shape and form whilst getting rid of any noticeable flaws.
What is a dental crown?
Crowns, which are also referred to as ‘caps’, are the best way to repair teeth that have been fractured, chipped off, decomposed or have an overly large filling.
What is the lifespan of a crown?
The lifeline of a crown depends on how well the crown is looked after.
Similar to a natural tooth, the crown will require the same time and attention spent to maintain its hygiene.
It’s important you attend regular checkups and maintain a healthy diet to prevent the tooth from being damaged. Also it is vital to avoid bad habits that may cause drastic damage to the crown, such as biting of the finger nails, grinding of the teeth and the use of the teeth as a tool, e.g. to open bottles and lids.The average lifespan of a crown is between 10-15 years, but it is really determined on how well it is looked after.
When is a crown appropriate?
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are one of the options to replace missing teeth. Dental bridges are very successful provided that the abutment teeth (the teeth either side) holding the bridge are in good health.
What are dental bridges?
Dental bridges are fixed to specially prepared teeth. These teeth are usually the teeth either end of a gap. They are made from the same materials as dental crowns. A dental bridge is used to bridge a gap (missing teeth) between healthy teeth. Teeth on either side of the gap are reshaped and reduced in size.
These then act as anchors, 
or abutments.
Benefits of dental bridges
Dental bridges are very quick, easy and painless to do. They can stop teeth from drifting into gaps. They will improve function, bite, chewing, cosmetics and help to fill out the face where you have lost teeth.
On the downside, preparation for a bridge does involve grinding down potentially otherwise healthy teeth in order for the bridge to be attached to them.
When is a bridge appropriate?
Dental bridges are a safe option to replace missing teeth when you do not wish a partial denture or dental implant.
What is the lifespan of a Bridge?
You need to look after dental bridges with the same level of care and attention as your natural teeth. Providing you maintain a good oral hygiene program, good diet and attend regular dental check-ups, a high quality dental bridge can last 10-15 years or even longer.
Veneers
What is a veneer?
A veneer is a thin layer of material placed over a tooth, either to improve the aesthetics of a tooth or to protect the tooth's surface from damage. There are two main types of material used to fabricate a veneer: composite and dental porcelain. A composite veneer may be directly placed (built-up in the mouth), or indirectly fabricated by a dental technician in a dental laboratory, in contrast, a porcelain veneer may only be indirectly fabricated.
What is the lifespan of a veneer?
Today, with improved cements and bonding agents, they typically last 10–30 years.
They may have to be replaced in this time due to cracking,leaking,chipping, discoloration, decay, shrinkage of the gum line and damage from injury or tooth grinding.
When is a veneer appropriate?
