What Are Dental Crowns and Bridges?
If your dentist recommends that you have a dental crown or a bridge placed, it’s definitely something that you need to consider when it comes to getting an oral prosthetic device. Learning the facts about what dental crowns and bridges are will ensure that you will fully understand and know what they are, why you need one or both, and how they will benefit you.
What Are Dental Crowns and How Do They Work?
Dental crowns, unlike removable devices, including dentures, are cemented in place onto your existing tooth or implant, and can only be applied and removed by your experienced cosmetic dentist. The purpose of a dental crown is to completely cover a tooth that has become damaged for whatever reason, to strengthen it and improve the appearance, alignment, shape, etc. However, dental crowns are not just for the improvement of a tooth’s structure, but also for appearance, as well. For example, to improve the color of a tooth, a ceramic or porcelain crown can be crafted to match the natural tooth’s color.
In this case acrylic, metal alloys, gold, and ceramic are used to do so, and are generally for the back teeth, as these alloys are stronger than any porcelain. One of the most popular crowns that patients get are porcelain that is bonded to a shell of metal, mostly because it’s both an attractive and strong choice.
Why Would I Need a Dental Crown?
If your dentist has recommended that you receive a dental crown, or you are wondering if you need one based on your own opinion, for example, you are experiencing pain from a tooth that you believe to be cracked, consider the following listed below on why you would need a dental crown:
- To replace a filling that is large in size when your natural tooth is too small from chipping and/or breaking
- To further protect a weaker tooth that is at risk of fracturing, or to restore one that has already become fractured for whatever reason
- To cover an implant, poorly-shaped tooth, one that has received a root canal, or one that is too discolored to clean properly
- To help attach a dental bridge
If your cosmetic dentist has recommended a dental crown, then it is crucial that you have one implanted, but be sure to speak with him/her thoroughly about why you need one in the first place.
What Are Dental Bridges, and How Do They Work?
If you are missing a tooth, or more than one, dental bridges will help ensure that you do not develop gum disease or any disorder of the mouth, such as temporomandibular joint. They help to ensure that something has properly filled the gap where your tooth, or teeth, used to be, and are cemented onto your surrounding natural tooth or implant, which are anchors that serve the bridge.
From there, you receive a tooth that will be a replacement, which are known as “pontics”, that will ensure full oral health. If you are missing a tooth, the area under the gum, your jawline, will begin to deteriorate over time, causing a bad bite.
As with dental crowns, if your dentist has recommended that you receive a dental bridge, then you should greatly consider doing so, and speak to him/her about why you need one, what your options are, etc.
