At Ralston Creek Dental, our Arvada, CO, dentist offers dental crowns and bridges to restore a tooth that has become severely infected, impaired, or fallen out. Crowns and bridges are fixed prosthetic devices that help patients regain the lost functionality of their teeth while giving a natural appearance to their teeth.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are prosthetic devices that are tooth-shaped caps positioned over the tooth to restore its strength, structure, and appearance. They serve the following purposes:
- Crowns protect severely damaged teeth.
- Crowns can replace a large filling if the teeth's natural structure is all lost.
- Crowns are the last step during a dental implant or root canal procedure to strengthen a weakened tooth.
- Crowns are used to attach a dental bridge.
- Besides improving the patient's oral health by shielding a vulnerable tooth, porcelain crowns also enhance the appearance of the tooth.
Advantages of Crowns
- Dental crowns are used for numerous purposes, like restoring chipped, broken, worn out, cracked, or weak teeth.
- The color, contour, size, and color of ceramic crowns can be customized to mimic the natural teeth, allowing the wearer to smile with confidence.
- Dental crowns are very durable, like natural enamel.
- Placing dental crowns requires no more than two dental visits. CEREC crowns can be placed on the same visit.
- Placing dental crowns won't alter the wearer's natural bite or affect regular oral activities.
Dental Bridges
A dental bridge is a natural-looking, permanent tooth replacement prosthetic that bridges the gap created by the missing tooth. It typically consists of an artificial tooth affixed by two dental crowns or wings that are positioned on each side of the gap. These crowns or abutment teeth support the bridge, and the artificial tooth or pontic rests in between these abutment teeth.
There are various materials that can be used to fabricate dental bridges. They include porcelain, gold, alloys, or a combination of these. However, porcelain veneers are more widespread as they look similar to natural teeth in terms of their appearance and aesthetics.
Benefits of a Dental Bridge
- Bridges are a good, fixed alternative to partial dentures.
- The dental bridge fixes the mouth's functions, like talking, eating, and chewing, by bridging the space left by missing teeth.
- When a tooth is lost, it can lead to the drifting of the adjacent teeth out of place. Dental bridges help prevent this shifting of the adjacent teeth by filling the gap.
- Replacing missing teeth prevents excess pressure on the other natural teeth.
- With dental bridge restorations, the shape and volume of the patient's face can be maintained.
If you would like to know more about crowns and bridges, give us a call at (303) 4222502, or visit us at Ralston Creek Dental, 10229 W 58th Ave, Arvada, CO 80002
