Crowns & Bridges

Dental crowns are fitted over your natural teeth mainly for protection and prevention. After your tooth has been shaped to accept the crown, a porcelain crown is placed that looks exactly like a normal tooth (the crown is white on the outside).

You may need a crown(s) to protect you tooth (or teeth) because of a cracked tooth, a large cavity, damaged fillings, a worn or damaged crown or fitted subsequent to a root canal.

1) Cracked Tooth: A crown will cover and protect a damaged tooth and eases the pain allowing the patient to eat again.

2) Large Cavity: A crown may be the solution to a tooth with such a large cavity a crown needs to be fitted.

3) Worn or Damaged Crown: When a crown has fallen off, worn out or been damaged, a new crown may be fitted to replace the damaged one.

4) Fillings: When larger fillings no longer serve their original purpose or fail, it may be better to insert a crown. Fillings may develop small broken edges or gaps which will no longer properly seal the tooth, and many times cause pain. If the filling is small enough, a new filling may be used. However, if the tooth has a large filling and there is not enough of the original tooth material to attach the filling, a crown may be a better solution.

In most cases, it takes two appointments to restore your tooth with a crown. This is because the crown must be custom hand-crafted in our highly experienced dental laboratory to precisely fit your tooth and bite.

Bridges

A bridge is a replacement for a missing tooth that is anchored in place by the adjacent teeth. It looks like a natural tooth in its sculpture and to the naked eye. A bridge may avoid the multitude of dental problems that will occur when a tooth is lost, such as:

1) the adjacent teeth may begin to extrude from their socket;
2) the gap causes chewing problems;
3) TMJ problems will occur; and
4) teeth cleaning of shifted teeth becomes a problem and an invitation for periodontal disease and further tooth loss.

Similar to crowns, it takes two appointments to restore your mouth with a bridge. This is because the bridge must be custom hand-crafted in our dental laboratory to precisely fit your unique bite and teeth.

Please call our office with any questions and/or concerns about crowns and/or bridges. Thank you!