Crowns are popularly known as dental caps, as they completely cover a tooth and protect it. On the other hand, bridges are used to restore missing teeth and are often regarded as the simplest means to replace lost teeth. Both these dental restorations are made from tooth-colored ceramic, allowing you to have a pleasing and attractive smile.
What are crowns used for?
Crowns are used to treat and restore teeth that have sustained the following oral conditions:
- Damaged teeth:Sustaining oral trauma could break, chip, or crack the teeth, allowing the microbes in the mouth to enter the root canal and infect the dental pulp. If not restored at the earliest, damaged teeth can cause a lot of pain and lead to serious oral infections. Hence, we recommend getting them treated and restored using crowns.
- Worn out teeth: Teeth that have sustained severe wear due to demineralization or bruxism can ruin the appearance of the smile and lead to hindered functionality of the mouth. Bonding crowns can restore their shape and functionality to their ideal state.
- Weak teeth:Teeth that have undergone root canal therapy would have the dental pulp extracted. The teeth would have no source of nourishment due to this, making them weak and susceptible to damage. We would ideally recommend a dental crown to restore the teeth after root canal therapy.
In addition, crowns can be used to restore naturally misshapen or excessively spaced teeth.
What are the advantages of crowns and bridges?
- Crowns are used for several types of restoration and cosmetic procedures, making them highly versatile.
- Bridges are the simplest means to replace missing teeth. They do not require surgery to be placed, and jawbone volume isn’t a significant factor while determining the candidacy for bridges (as in the case of dental implants).
- Since crowns and bridges are made from dental-grade ceramic, they can be personalized to mimic the exact aspects of the natural teeth in terms of color, contour, texture, and size. This keeps them under disguise.
- They are long-lasting restorations. With optimum care, they last for many years without any hassle.
- They restore the aesthetics and functionality of the teeth. You will be able to smile with confidence, bite and chew food as you always used to, and the phonetics would also be back to normal.
- The procedure to get crowns or bridges would require no more than two visits to the dentist’s practice, making the process simple and convenient.
What is the procedure involved?
The dentist will thoroughly screen the mouth to check for various factors that determine your candidacy for these restorations. The teeth will be prepared by removing a thin layer of enamel, which helps to make space for them. Precise digital impressions are taken to serve as a reference for fabricating them, which will be sent to a dental laboratory. It may take a couple of weeks for the restorations to be fabricated.
During the next consultation, the teeth will be cleaned and prepared for the bonding procedure. A suitable etching solution will be applied to the prepared surface, which makes it rough and allows the restoration to adhere well to it. Dental adhesives are used to bond them to the teeth and hardened using a curing light. They may be polished to enhance the aesthetics, and a bite test will be taken.
Please get in touch with us through online consultation or by calling us at (408) 730-2475, and we’ll guide you further.
