Crowns and Bridges

Crowns

Crowns, also called caps, are natural-looking covers that fit snugly over teeth to conceal cracked, badly discolored, injured, or chipped teeth. Crowns minimize physical discomfort and provide support to damaged teeth. Ultimately, crowns can improve the overall appearance of your smile while making your teeth more resistant to injury.

Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth’s function and appearance following a restorative procedure such as a root canal. When decay in a tooth has become so advanced that large portions of the tooth must be removed, crowns are often used to restore the tooth.

Crowns are also used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or an existing filling is in jeopardy of becoming loose or dislocated. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use, and are applied when a discolored or stained tooth needs to be restored to its natural appearance.

Procedures

A tooth must usually be reduced in size to accommodate a crown. An impression is made of the existing tooth and an impression is made. The impression is sent to a special lab, which manufactures a custom-designed crown. In some cases, a temporary crown is applied until the permanent crown is ready. Permanent crowns are cemented in place.

Crowns are sometimes confused with veneers, but they are quite different. Veneers are typically applied only to relatively small areas.

Caring For Your Crowns

With proper care, a good quality crown could last up to eight years or longer. It is very important to floss in the area of the crown to avoid excess plaque or collection of debris around the restoration.

Certain behaviors such as jaw clenching or bruxism (teeth grinding) significantly shorten the life of a crown. Moreover, eating brittle foods, ice or hard candy can compromise the adhesion of the crown, or even damage the crown.

Bridges

Bridges are natural-looking dental appliances that can replace a section of missing teeth. Because they are custom-made, bridges are barely noticeable and can restore the natural contour of teeth as well as the proper bite relationship between upper and lower teeth.

Sometimes a little extra work is needed to create your desired smile. If you are missing teeth, having trouble speaking or chewing, or notice strain when biting, bridges may be the ideal option to help make your mouth healthy and beautiful again. Sometimes referred to as fixed partial dentures, bridges literally bridge gaps between teeth by filling them with strong, natural-looking artificial teeth. Bridges are relatively permanent and can only be removed by a dentist, but are completely comfortable and proven to make teeth strong. To find out if bridges are the right option for you, please contact us today.