Procedures

Welcome to our office! As a general dentist, Dr. Wagner is trained in all dental procedures. In some situations, she may choose to refer patients to an appropriate specialist. Please feel free to click on the following procedures to learn more about them.

All content was written by Dr. Katie-Rose Wagner and she welcomes the public to use and share any of the information without her permission. She respectfully asks to be listed as the author for direct quotations.

Crowns and bridges

A crown is a "shell" — usually made of a gold alloy, porcelain, or a combination of the two — that is cemented over a tooth that has been reshaped to accommodate the crown. Crowns are sometimes called "caps".

There are many reasons why a tooth might need a crown:

  • Insufficient tooth remaining above the gumline due to decay, large fillings, or fracture.
  • After a root canal is performed.
  • If a tooth is being used as an "abutment" (neighboring tooth) for a bridge.
  • Aesthetic reasons, such as discoloration and minor alignment corrections.
  • Structural changes to the shape or orientation of the teeth, such as tilted teeth that will be used as anchors in a partial denture.

A bridge is a series of crowns that are connected, used to replace missing teeth. Crowns are placed on the neighboring natural teeth, and a "pontic" is the fake tooth that replaces the missing teeth, leaving a total of three or more crowns that are attached to each other. After a bridge is cemented, patients are taught to use special floss that is threaded underneath the pontic and used to keep the bridge, gum, and neighboring teeth clean.