Crowns And Bridges Specialist

What are dental crowns?

Dental crowns are prosthetic teeth that fit over an individual tooth or function as the visible part of a dental implant. They help prevent further damage to a decayed or fractured tooth or can replace a missing tooth completely. 

Your dentist custom-designs a crown to look similar in size, shape, and color to your natural teeth, so they all work together to restore your oral health, functionally and aesthetically. Crowns become a permanent fixture in your mouth. 

What are the different types of crowns?

Hillsdale Dental Care offers two types of crowns: porcelain crowns and zirconia crowns. Here’s a closer look at each.

Porcelain crowns

Porcelain crowns are strong and durable. They’re a popular choice because the color can easily be manipulated to match the color of the surrounding teeth, and light can even pass through them, which means they’re almost indistinguishable from real teeth.

Zirconia crowns

Zirconia crowns are made from high-grade ceramic, and they, too, look almost identical to the original teeth. Zirconia crowns tend to last longer than porcelain crowns, which makes them a little more expensive.

What are dental bridges?

When you have more than one tooth missing, or if a dental implant isn’t an option for a single missing tooth, a dental bridge is the solution. A bridge contains one or more replacement teeth, and it is held in place by crowns usually, but implants can also anchor a bridge if appropriate. 

There are several types of bridges, including traditional, cantilever, and Maryland. A traditional bridge consists of an artificial tooth (pontic) held in place by dental crowns that cover the teeth on either side of the gap or to a dental implant. 

A cantilever bridge attaches to a single crown on just one side of your missing tooth. A Maryland bridge attaches to the back of your natural teeth with a metal framework instead of crowns. 

What benefits do crowns and bridges offer?

If you have missing or weak teeth, crowns and bridges offer several benefits as replacement teeth, such as:

• Restoring chewing abilities
• Restoring clear speaking abilities
• Restoring a proper bite
• Improving oral aesthetics
• Preventing nearby teeth from shifting out of place
• Protecting weak or decayed teeth
• Protecting a cracked tooth
• Protecting a tooth after a root canal

Crowns and bridges help maintain your best oral health and reduce the need for complex dental procedures in the future. They help your teeth stay healthy, as long as you brush, floss, and visit Hillsdale Dental Care regularly. 

Request an appointment online, or call Hillsdale Dental Care to schedule a consultation.