Dental crowns and bridges allow you to keep a flattering and functional smile despite common tooth complications like breakage, decay, or tooth loss. At Litchfield Dental Care in Litchfield Park, Arizona, the experienced dental team can create strong custom crowns and bridges to last you decades. Call Litchfield Dental Care or book an appointment online today.
request an appointmentWhat are crowns and bridges?
Crowns and bridges are two different types of tooth restoration that your dentist can use to replace or repair a tooth. While the two devices are quite similar, and the process for getting them is nearly identical, they serve different purposes.
Litchfield Dental Care’s customized restorations include::
Dental crown
A dental crown looks like a tooth from the outside but is hollowed out to fit over a prepared tooth. A dental crown can protect or reinforce a broken tooth, a weak tooth, or a tooth with a large filling. An implant-supported crown can replace a missing tooth and tooth root. You can choose from multiple materials for a crown, including color-matched porcelain.
Dental bridge
Porcelain dental bridges are devices that include one or two crowns along with one or more pontic (false) teeth. The crowns of a dental bridge hold the pontic or pontics in place to fill the gap from one or more missing teeth. Dental implants can support bridges, too.
What is the process for getting crowns and bridges?
The team examines your smile during your consultation and takes impressions of your teeth to fabricate your crown or bridge. The team also removes a thin layer of enamel from your tooth to prepare t it for the crown.
It can take a few weeks for a dental lab to prepare a new crown or bridge. As you wait for your permanent restoration to be fabricated, you wear a temporary restoration until your customized one arrives. Next, the team attaches the restoration.
If you need a dental implant to support a crown or bridge, implant surgery happens before the design and fabrication process.
What should I do about a broken crown or bridge?
Litchfield Dental Care offers repair and replacement services for crowns and bridges. Don’t hesitate to call the office right away with concerns about breakage or signs of wear on your restorations. A broken device can leave the underlying tooth vulnerable to infection and other complications.
To take care of your device and avoid breakage, practice excellent oral hygiene using a protective mouthguard when you play contact sports and don’t bite down on solid objects that could break or dislodge a restoration.
Schedule an appointment over the phone or online at Litchfield Dental Care to compare crowns and bridges today.