Crown

As time passes, our teeth begin to weaken. Large cavities, pressure from chronic grinding, and physical trauma can put our teeth in danger of cracks and breaks. Taking action before our teeth succumb to breaks will preserve natural structure and help prevent the need for a root canal or extraction. Porcelain crowns will encompass and protect weakened teeth while improving the look of your smile. And we think that’s a winning combination.

Reasons to Get Dental Crowns

Crowns are appropriate in so many situations, so we’ve listed the three main instances in which crowns are helpful:

• Strengthening a tooth – When tooth structure has been damaged by decay or an accident, the tooth may falter. It could succumb to a serious break or to infection without fresh support. A dental crown will cap the tooth and protect remaining structure. Crowns are also helpful after root canals, to preserve the treated teeth.
• Improving a tooth’s appearance – The cosmetic changes possible with dental crowns are too numerous to list; suffice it to say that crowns can make nearly any alteration possible. Because they add a great deal of structure, they can be right for more involved changes than porcelain veneers. Several crowns will completely rebuild and transform your smile.
• Replacing a missing tooth – A crown paired with a dental implant will replace the entirety of a tooth, both above and below the gum line. Crowns are also an indispensable component of dental bridges. Crowns will rebuild your smile without draining any of its beauty. Learn more by getting in touch with our office.

Bridge

A bridge allows the dentist to replace lost teeth without the use of a denture or dental implant. Basically a false tooth is held in place by being attached to a tooth next door. The disadvantage is that the teeth next to the space have to be prepared in a similiar way to a crown in order to accept the bridge. If these teeth already have crowns or big restorations then this is not a problem, the major concern however is when these teeth have small or no restorations (fillings). One compromise is the 'acid etched bridge', with this type a fine ledge is placed on the back of the adjacent teeth

One disadvantage of a bridge is that the patient should wait three months before placement as the 'gum' shrinks' after a tooth is extracted. If the bridge was fitted early a gap would appear underneath the pontic (the false tooth). At the back of the mouth this may not be a problem, at the front of the mouth however this may appear as a black line along the gum.