Crowns and Bridges

Crowns and bridges are often permanent restoration options for damaged or diseased teeth. Unlike a denture, they often cannot be removed and are anchored to the teeth around them. When teeth are missing or are too far damaged that they can not be easily fixed, bridges or crowns are necessary for both oral health and cosmetic purposes.

Crowns and bridges fill in gaps in your mouth. Without them, your teeth may have a tendency to shift and come out of alignment. Crowns and bridges keep your teeth in place and prevent potentially avoidable disease or damage.

Crowns and bridges also encourage brighter, more confident smiles by filling gaps. Often made of a tooth-colored compound, crowns and bridges are made to look like your surrounding teeth and keep your mouth as natural as possible.

A dental crown becomes necessary if a tooth has been weakened by decay or fracture. It can also be used for cosmetic purposes.

A dental crown is placed by first grinding away the damaged or diseased tooth so that it is smaller. A crown or cap is then placed over the tooth and secured. This keeps your tooth from becoming further damaged or diseased and functions like a tooth – allowing you to continue with everyday activities naturally and comfortably.

If you are missing one or more teeth, your dentist may suggest the use of a fixed bridge and dental crowns.

Since the gap left by a missing tooth can cause the remaining teeth to shift or move, it is important for your oral health to replace the missing tooth or teeth, and fixed bridges are one of the solutions for doing so.

Bridges consist of a pontic (artificial tooth) and crowns, which are “caps” that go over the teeth on both sides of the bridge and serve as anchors to stabilize the bridge.

Traditional bridges are usually made from porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.