Crowns & Bridges in Nicholasville, KY
Crowns and bridges are dental appliances that replace or restore damaged or missing teeth. There are several similarities and differences between crowns and bridges. Both use materials that look and feel like natural teeth, for example, and both are permanently cemented to your teeth to provide permanent solutions. Crowns and bridges restore your smile in different ways.
Crowns
Crowns work like a cap to cover a damaged tooth completely. Your dentist matches porcelain or ceramic crowns to the color of your natural teeth. Crown materials can also include acrylic gold, ceramic and even metal alloys, which are usually stronger than porcelain and therefore work well for back teeth. Dentists are currently using ceramic crowns who’s strength matches that of the actual enamel.
Your Nicholasville, KY, dentist may recommend a crown to:
- Replace a large filling when there is not enough tooth left to support another filling
- Protect a weak tooth
- Restore a fractured tooth
- Cover a tooth following root canal treatment
- Attach a bridge
Bridges
If you are missing one or more teeth, your dentist may recommend a bridge. Missing teeth can cause your teeth to shift, as nearby teeth tend to shift or rotate into the empty space. This can affect your bite and lead to temporomandibular joint disease.
Bridges span the gap left by missing teeth to restore your smile and prevent the other teeth from moving into the empty space.
Crown and Bridge Procedures
To place a crown or bridge, your dentist will reduce the size of the treated tooth or nearby teeth to accommodate the new dental appliance. Next, your dentist makes an impression of an existing tooth; the dental lab uses the impression to make the crown or bridge. Finally, your dentist permanently cements the crown or bridge in place.
