Dealing with damaged or missing teeth? A restorative dentist can rebuild your smile.
Crowns and bridges are two very commonly placed dental restorations. Crowns are incredibly versatile because they are often used to treat weak or damaged teeth due to trauma, infection, or decay. A dental bridge, on the other hand, is a fixed oral prosthetic that our Norfolk, MA, dentist Dr. Mitchell Pasenkoff will place to fill gaps in your smile with false teeth. Here’s what you should know about these two restorations and what they can do for your health and appearance.
Crowns Preserve Natural Teeth
One of the main reasons our Norfolk, MA, family dentist places crowns is to protect and preserve what’s left of a tooth after damage or decay. After all, Dr. Pasenkoff’s goal is to always preserve your natural teeth whenever possible. A crown is a tooth-shaped cap that will cover the entire tooth. The crown is cemented into place, providing a realistic but resilient barrier for the tooth to prevent further damage.
A crown is often placed to:
- Replace a large filling that is worn or could increase the risk for a cracked or fractured tooth
- Cover a tooth after root canal therapy
- Support a weak or severely worn tooth
- Strengthen and boost resilience back into a fractured, cracked, or broken tooth
- Restore chewing and biting strength back into your smile
Bridges Fill Gaps
Dental bridges are prosthetics that replace one or more teeth. This dental appliance is either fixed in place or removable, depending on your needs and treatment goals. Bridges contain one or more false teeth that are either held in place with clasps that attach to neighboring teeth, for removable bridges, or fixed in place with dental crowns that are cemented over healthy natural teeth. Bridges offer a fast, affordable, and long-lasting option for replacing missing teeth.
Crowns and Bridges Enhance Smiles
Along with the restorative benefits of these two dental restorations, they also offer cosmetic advantages. For one, they are both custom-made to fit your smile, which means that everything from the false teeth in your bridge to your crown is made from exact measurements of your teeth.
Crowns and your bridge’s false teeth are also made from porcelain, which is matched to the shade of your teeth before being made, to ensure that once your restoration is cemented into place it looks just like the rest of your smile.
Do you have questions about crowns and bridges? Want to sit down with our Norfolk, MA, family dentist to discuss restorative dentistry and how to improve the health and overall look of your smile? Call us today at (508) 528-5351 to schedule a consultation.