Crowns
It typically takes two visits to place a crown. On your first visit, the dentist will reshape the tooth. After shaping the tooth, an impression of your tooth will be taken and a temporary crown will be made for you. The time needed ranges from 30 minutes and possibly an hour.
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Also, keep in mind that, the dentist will numb that area with local anesthesia (unless you've had root canal therapy).
Crowns need a certain minimal thickness which is why your tooth needs to be trimmed down a bit.
Bridges
A bridge, also known as a fixed removable denture, is made to replace one or more missing teeth. Bridges can be supported in any of three ways:
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By natural teeth
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By implants
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By a combination of teeth and implants
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A traditional bridge is made by creating a crown for the teeth on either side of the space and placing a false tooth or teeth between the crowns. The crowns can be supported by natural teeth or by implants. The false tooth or teeth are attached to the crowns and fill the empty space.
If the teeth receiving the crowns are healthy and strong, they probably will not need root canal therapy. However, parts of the teeth will be removed to make space for the crowns. Traditional bridges are made either of porcelain fused to metal (PFM) or zirconia.
A Maryland bonded bridge consists of a metal framework with "wings" on each side. The wings are bonded to the back of your existing teeth. The false teeth are also bonded to the framework. This type of bridge is also called a resin-bonded bridge or an acid-etched bridge.
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Getting a bridge requires at least two to three visits. At the first visit, your dentist prepares the teeth and covers them with temporary crowns. The dentist may also make impressions of the teeth.
The bridge is placed at later visits. On average, bridges last five to seven years. A major reason bridges fail is that new cavities develop on the supporting teeth. These cavities occur because of poor oral hygiene. With proper hygiene, which includes flossing your teeth under the bridge, they will last longer.
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