Designed to help bite functionality along with creating smile enhancement, dental crowns and bridges are restorative procedures that resolve problematic issues created by severely decayed, broken, and missing teeth. In each case, impressions are made to ensure a good fit with the remaining teeth in the mouth. Dental crowns are used to repair an individual tooth, whereas bridges can be used to replace one or more missing teeth. Dental crowns are cemented in place and are expected to last between five and ten years. Dental bridges are fixed in place through the use of crowns which are fitted to the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are used to repair damaged teeth that have been weakened by decay, cracks, chips, and fractures. They deliver permanency to an otherwise unviable tooth. In most cases, the existing tooth receives some repairs, including the removal of decay and a buildup of the remaining tooth structure so that it can support the crown. Teeth which undergo root canal therapy often need dental crowns in order to provide stability to the remaining tooth structure.
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are the traditional option for missing teeth. They are used to fill in the gap created by one or more missing teeth. It is essential to replace missing teeth in order to prevent bone loss in the jaw as well as to avoid teeth shifting or rotating, which can disrupt the functionality of the patient’s bite. If the tooth is not replaced and shifting occurs, it can lead to broken or chipped teeth elsewhere in the mouth. Bone loss can also create changes in the facial appearance, making people look older than they are.
Both dental bridges and crowns can be matched to the existing colour of the patient’s other teeth in order to preserve the uniformity of the smile. Bridges and crowns can look just like natural teeth.
