Regardless of how well you care for your teeth, the real world tends to be a bit more adversarial. You can still develop tooth decay, or you may even get into an accident that leads to tooth loss. Fortunately, with crowns and bridges, you can still chew your food properly and retain your smile.
What are Crowns?
A crown is a thin cover for a tooth, much like a full helmet for a motorcycle rider. When fillings aren’t sufficient to fix the damage on a tooth, the whole structure will need to be protected by a dental crown. This is a very thin cover that the doctor fits securely around the damaged tooth so that it is covered and protected.
Its function is to restore the original tooth’s strength and function for chewing food, and to also bring back its original healthy appearance.
Also, a crown cover protects the tooth from more damage and tooth decay. These crowns are certainly very durable, as they’re made from materials like ceramic and porcelain.
What about Dental Bridges?
When you place a crown over a tooth, we have to prepare the teeth first to support the crown’s size and shape. The same goes for a dental bridge, though this time the purpose is to replace 2 or more missing teeth that are located in a single row. A dental bridge is related to the crown because the prosthetic teeth are supported by crowns placed on the adjacent teeth to support the bridge. These crowns keep the replacement teeth in place.
Obviously the new teeth will help you chew your food better, plus you can also smile with confidence since people won’t notice any missing teeth. But there’s another benefit to using dental bridges. They’re able to keep the adjacent teeth you have left from drifting into the empty space left by your missing teeth.
If you need a crown or bridge, give us a call and we can schedule an appointment with our dentist.