Complete Your Smile With a Bridge or Crown

On many occasions, a tooth requires a restoration stronger than a mere filling to properly return it to form and restore itʼs function. Teeth that are fractured as a result of anything from cavities, trauma, or even presence of a large, older restoration will need strength beyond what a filling can provide.

Due to the massive amount of chewing force concentrated on teeth, fractured teeth often require a restoration stronger than a filling. A crown or bridge can prevent a root canal or extraction down the road.

How Do Crowns Work?

A crown, or “cap,” as theyʼre sometimes referred, can provide strength to reinforce a broken tooth. A crown provides strength and protection to the tooth by surrounding it in a strong protective shell made of anything from gold to ceramic. When a tooth cemented with a crown bites down, the biting force is disseminated through the crown and eliminates a splitting or wedging force that could split a tooth.

Crowns can be made now from materials that are a vast improvement over crowns of the past, eliminating unsightly dark lines and obvious cosmetic discrepancies. In addition to improving strength for chewing, crowns can be used to correct cosmetic defects or restore smiles to an ideal appearance.

How Do Bridges Work?

If a tooth is missing and teeth on either side of the space could benefit from increased strength, then a bridge can be an ideal solution. The size or length of a bridge is determined by how many teeth are to be replaced. A bridge is, in essence, a series of crowns fused together.

Anchored on either side, a bridge is a minimum of three units but can be much longer depending on how many teeth are missing. The missing teeth are replaced by crowns (called a pontic) that are rounded on the underside to deflect food particles and maintain a natural-looking appearance emerging from the gums.