Questions about Crowns and Bridges? Here are the answers.

Sometimes teeth get so decayed that a simple filling just won’t do the job that is needed. In many cases the decay is so bad that is just not enough to build upon. That is when giving it a crown may elongate the tooth’s life and make it operational again. When a single tooth needs to be taken out or is lost a bridge will prevent the need for a denture or other oral apparatus.

CROWNS: As teeth progressively decay they become more brittle and are apt to breaking, cracking or chipping. If this happens too close to the gum line or below it repair could be made all that more difficult or impossible to do. Crowns are made from a variety of materials, with gold and porcelains being amongst the most common.

Gold is usually used on the back teeth and offers many advantages for a technician or dentist performing the task. Gold is easily polished and does not shrink as much as porcelain. This leaves less room for error as usually a technician must estimate the size of the crown and how much it will shrink to ensure a proper fit.

Porcelain, though it shrinks, is usually preferred for the front teeth. The reason for this is because a porcelain crown can be altered to look very natural, almost matching the current tint and shade of the teeth. However, some porcelain crowns do have metal stabilizers in them to give them added strength. This metal can make the teeth look duller than the natural teeth.

Sometimes the top, or tip, of a tooth is too far decayed for a crown to be applied to. In this instance a dentist may attach a metal post towards the base of the decayed tooth to act as a structure to sufficiently build the crown upon. These are known as post crowns.

BRIDGES: These allow for the dentist to fill in for missing or lost teeth without using a dental implant or denture. A bridge does just what the name suggests-it bridges a gap in the mouth that exists between other teeth. They can be attached to teeth that are already in the mouth however, this does require that the anchoring tooth be prepared in the same way that the bridge is to be successful.

Reasons why your dentist may recommend crowns and bridges are: to replace a filling when a tooth is so far gone that it can no longer be filled, to protect a weak tooth from breaking, to fix a broken tooth, or to fill gaps made by lost or missing teeth.
Something to keep in mind when looking into bridges is time, though. Once a tooth is lost or taken it out it can take the gums up to three months to shrink to a position at which they will stay. If a bridge is applied to early and the gum continues to shrink after then a gap could appear below the bridged or false tooth.

A bridge usually means drilling into a healthy tooth to attach it. However, in a procedure known as the Maryland Bridge, winged flaps can be placed and attached to the rear of the healthy tooth. This type of bridge has a shorter wear out date than the regular bridge. Maryland bridges are usually good for 4 to 5 years while a normal bridge is good for 8 years.
Dental bridges and crowns can be a positive, healthy, and aesthetic solution to many of your oral issues.

Click here to: Schedule A Dental Appointment Today!