Dental Crowns and Bridges: When Do You Need Them?
There are so many cosmetic dental treatments available these days for restoring your smile, and among the most popular ones are dental crowns and bridges. But what are these procedures, exactly? What are the differences between the two and how do you know which is the better treatment for your situation? Read on to learn some fundamentals about these two procedures.
What Are Crowns and Bridges?
Both dental crowns and dental bridges are permanent dental prosthetic devices. They are attached onto a dental implant or a neighbouring tooth and are meant to look just like real teeth. In case they need to be replaced or repaired, only a cosmetic dentist would be able to do the procedure.
Crowns are caps that are placed over a broken or damaged tooth in order to fortify it. It can also be placed over a dental implant if the original tooth has already been completely removed. A bridge, on the other hand, is a false tooth that takes the place of a missing tooth. It attaches to the remaining teeth on either side of the gap.
Crowns and bridges are meant to last for a very long time and with proper oral hygiene, they certainly will. You should just need to avoid biting down hard and make sure to brush and floss regularly. Your dentist will check the condition of your tooth restoration with each visit as well, so you need to make sure that you don’t miss any of your dentist’s appointments.
Which Is the Better Treatment?
There is no fixed answer as to which is the better treatment between a crown and a bridge because they address two different situations. In other words, it depends on what kind of issue you have with your teeth.
If you have lost one or more teeth completely and all that’s left is a gap between your remaining teeth, then a bridge would be the recommended solution. But if you still have part of the tooth and it is just cracked, fractured or has undergone root canal treatment, then it would be most advisable to have a dental crown placed over it. A crown would also work for covering an implant if you have already had one, or for replacing a filling that is particularly large.
Is It Time to Get a Crown or Bridge?
The easiest way to determine whether it is time to get a crown or a bridge, or any other dental procedure for that matter, is to listen to your dentist. Your dentist will be able to tell you exactly what procedure you need based on their examination of your teeth.
If you are still on the fence as to whether you should have the treatment done, you should keep in mind the two primary benefits that you can get from these restorative dental procedures. The first is that they will keep you in the best oral health possible. The second is that you will get to have the perfect smile you have always wanted.
To learn more about crowns or bridges, call us anytime at Marsfield Dental Care. We will answer all your enquiries and book you for an appointment as soon as you are ready.
