What are Dental Crowns and bridges?

                                                                   

Dental crowns and bridges are common restorative dental procedures used to repair damaged teeth or replace missing ones. Here’s a detailed look at each:

Dental Crowns

Definition: A dental crown is a cap placed over a damaged, decayed, or cracked tooth. It restores the tooth's shape, size, strength, and appearance.

Purpose:

  • To protect a weak tooth from breaking.
  • To hold together parts of a cracked tooth.
  • To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down.
  • To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't a lot of tooth left.
  • To hold a dental bridge in place.
  • To cover misshapen or severely discolored teeth.
  • To cover a dental implant.
  • For cosmetic modification.

Materials:

  • Metal: Such as gold or a metal alloy. These are durable and withstand biting and chewing forces well.
  • Porcelain-fused-to-metal: These can be color-matched to your adjacent teeth but have more wear and tear over time.
  • All-ceramic or all-porcelain: These provide the best natural color match and are suitable for people with metal allergies.
  • Resin: These are less expensive but wear down over time and are more prone to fractures.

Dental Bridges

Definition: A dental bridge is a fixed dental restoration used to replace one or more missing teeth by joining an artificial tooth permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants.

Purpose:

  • To restore your smile.
  • To restore the ability to properly chew and speak.
  • To maintain the shape of your face.
  • To distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth.
  • To prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position.

Types:

  • Traditional Bridges: These involve creating a crown for the tooth or implant on either side of the missing tooth, with a pontic (false tooth) in between.
  • Cantilever Bridges: These are used when there are adjacent teeth on only one side of the missing tooth or teeth.
  • Maryland Bonded Bridges: These have porcelain or metal wings on each side of the bridge bonded to the existing teeth.
  • Implant-Supported Bridges: These are used when you have more than one tooth missing. Instead of being supported by crowns or frameworks, these bridges are supported by dental implants.

Materials:

  • Same as crowns: metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, all-ceramic, or all-resin, depending on the specific requirements and location in the mouth.

Procedure:

For Crowns:

  1. Preparation: The dentist removes part of the tooth’s structure to make room for the crown.
  2. Impression: An impression of the tooth is taken to create a custom crown.
  3. Temporary Crown: A temporary crown is placed until the permanent crown is ready.
  4. Fitting: The permanent crown is cemented onto the prepared tooth.

For Bridges:

  1. Preparation: Teeth adjacent to the gap are prepared by removing a portion of enamel.
  2. Impression: An impression is made to create the bridge.
  3. Temporary Bridge: A temporary bridge may be placed.
  4. Fitting: The final bridge is placed and adjusted for fit and comfort, then permanently cemented.

Both crowns and bridges require good oral hygiene practices to ensure their longevity. Regular dental check-ups and professional cleanings are also essential to maintain the health of these restorations and the surrounding teeth and gums.

 

At Crest Family Dental, we understand the importance of a confident smile and a healthy mouth. That’s why we offer comprehensive restorative dentistry services, including dental crowns and bridges, to address various dental concerns. Whether you need to restore a damaged tooth, improve your smile’s appearance, or protect weak teeth, our expert team is here to provide the care you need.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Everything You Need To Know About Root Canal Treatment

Image
                                                     What Is Root Canal Therapy? Can you imagine a proposition of losing your tooth and living without it? We’re going to take a leap and say, no! Our teeth are very important in maintaining our overall appearance and giving us the confidence to smile. Root Canal Therapy can help you save or repair your decaying tooth and reviving them in order to maintain a healthy set of jaw.   Root Canal Treatment is done to repair the tooth that is prone to infection or is undergoing decay. A Root Canal Therapy includes the removal of the nerve and the pulp of the tooth, to ensure proper cleaning, so that these tissues do not infect the tooth completely. They are very critical in reviving the health of the tooth and bring it back to its normal functionality. With years of experience, Dr Sam specializes in carrying out thousands of successful root canal procedures, thereby relieving our patients of root canal pain.                                      
Read more

What is a Dental Emergency and Where To Go for Care

Image
                                                                A dental emergency refers to a situation where immediate dental care is required to alleviate severe pain, stop bleeding, save a tooth, or address other urgent dental issues. Some common dental emergencies include: Severe Toothache:  Persistent, intense tooth pain may indicate an underlying issue that requires immediate attention. Knocked-Out Tooth:  If a tooth is completely knocked out, quick action can sometimes save the tooth. Rinse it gently, place it back in the socket if possible, or store it in milk or saliva and seek dental care promptly. Cracked or Fractured Tooth:  A fractured tooth can cause pain and may require immediate attention to prevent further damage. Loose Tooth:  An adult tooth that becomes loose may need urgent attention to prevent tooth loss. Abscess or Dental Infection:  Swelling, pus, and severe pain may indicate an abscess or infection, requiring prompt treatment to prevent the spread of infection.
Read more

Benefits of Keeping Wisdom Teeth and its Disadvantages

Image
                                                                 Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last set of molars that typically emerge in a person's late teens or early twenties. Whether it is beneficial to keep wisdom teeth or not can vary from person to person. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of keeping wisdom teeth:   Benefits of Keeping Wisdom Teeth : No Need for Extraction : If your wisdom teeth grow in properly and do not cause any issues, there is no need for extraction, which means you won't have to undergo a surgical procedure. Chewing Function : Wisdom teeth can contribute to better chewing and grinding of food, potentially improving your overall oral function. Natural Alignment : In some cases, wisdom teeth can help maintain the alignment of adjacent teeth by filling the space left by a missing tooth. Reserve Teeth : In the event that you lose other molars due to decay or injury, healthy wisdom teeth can serve as reserve teeth for chew
Read more