subject: Dental Crowns And Bridges- Long-lasting Tooth Restorations To Fix Your Broken Smile [print this page] In the past, a broken or lost tooth meant that you needed to get dentures to fully fix your smile. Luckily, modern dentistry has made tremendous advances to where most people can avoid the hassle of having to take care of dentures. Most dentists today are comfortable performing tooth restorations using dental crowns and bridges. Crowns and bridges can restore your broken, cracked or missing teeth in a series of simple appointments.
Dental Crowns
If your tooth is chipped or cracked, your dentist can restore it by installing a dental crown on the affected tooth. A dental crown is a cap that is placed over your tooth to restore its shape, strength and appearance. When the crown is installed, it will fully encase the visible part of your tooth. Crowns can be installed to protect a weak tooth, restore a broken tooth, support a dental bridge or to cover severely discolored teeth. If a crown is being installed on one of your front teeth, it will generally be made with porcelain or ceramic, as those materials look very similar to real teeth. If it is in the back of your mouth, you may receive a metal crown, as those are known to last longer.
After you and your dentist have decided that a dental crown is the restoration that you want to pursue, he or she will begin the process by anesthetizing the area around your tooth and then filing it down to make room for your new crown. After doing this, your dentist will take an impression of your tooth. From the impression, your new customized crown will be created at a dental lab. During the two to three weeks while you are waiting for your permanent crown, you will wear a temporary crown that your dentist will provide for you. When your permanent crown is ready, your dentist will remove your temporary one and replace it by cementing your permanent crown on top of your tooth.
Dental Bridges
A Dental bridge is an apparatus that is designed to replace your missing teeth. It is made up of two dental crowns that serve as anchors for a false tooth or teeth that fill in the gap where you are missing teeth. To get a dental bridge put in, your dentist will begin by filing down the two teeth that will receive crowns to make room for the bridge in your mouth. After this, he or she will take an impression of these teeth and the area where the false teeth will be placed. Like a crown procedure, you will have to wait for two to three weeks while your permanent bridge is being constructed. When the new bridge comes in from the dental lab, your dentist will remove your temporary bridge and cement the permanent one into place.
To learn more about crowns and bridges or to schedule an appointment, contact your Brookfield dentist today.
