Dental crowns and bridges have been used as a successful means of dental restoration for years.
Used as successful restorative solutions in dentistry for many many years, dental crowns and bridges are prosthetic devices that are typically attached by existing teeth or implants.
To better understand these popular restorative methods, let’s talk about dental crowns and bridges individually.
Crowns are essentially artificial tooth caps resembling natural tooth enamel, created to be placed or “capped” over a damaged or treated natural tooth. This strengthens the tooth while providing support and restoring its appearance.
Dental crowns may be recommended by our Thornhill dentist in a number of situations. This includes using a crown to protect a weak or root canal-treated tooth from further damage, to replace larger fillings when not enough healthy tooth remains, to attach a dental bridge or to provide a cosmetic result.
There are several types of crown materials available - including porcelain or ceramic crowns that can be created to perfectly match the colour of neighbouring teeth, or metals, ceramic and acrylic crowns. Each material has its unique set of benefits, and one may be more ideal than the other depending on a patient’s unique case.
Dental bridges are recommended in cases where a patient is missing one or more neighbouring teeth. They consist of one or several prosthetic teeth called “pontics” that span the gap where the teeth are missing, with two artificial tooth-resembling “abutments” on either side that are anchored to a patient’s natural teeth or crowns.
There are several dental bridge materials to choose from, just like with crowns - including porcelain or ceramic bridges that will blend the most seamlessly with the surrounding teeth. Our Thornhill dentist will educate you on the unique advantages of each material to help you to make the most informed decision for your particular smile and situation.
Dental bridges are especially recommended to prevent the inevitable shifting of existing teeth to the space created by the missing teeth - which results in a poor bite and other complications.
Our dentist in Thornhill would be happy to go over your options with you! Schedule a crowns and/or bridges consultation with us today, and learn about how you can improve your smile from its health and function to its appearance.