See for Yourself How Crowns and Bridges Restore Function and Confidence

Damaged or missing teeth affect more than just aesthetics. They can change how you eat, speak, and smile, sometimes causing long-term deficits in your dental health. With the help of crowns and bridges, you can reverse these effects and get your smile back. 

Crowns and bridges are long-lasting solutions that look and feel natural. They’re low-maintenance and discreet, boosting your confidence without interrupting your daily routine. 

How are crowns and bridges used in smile restoration? Learn how these treatments can benefit your mouth, both functionally and visually. 

What is a dental crown?

A dental crown protects the inner tissue of broken, cracked, or otherwise damaged teeth. Think of a crown as a cover on the existing tooth. Crowns keep plaque and debris out while restoring your tooth’s function and appearance. 

After a root canal treatment or large filling, a crown will help protect the nerve tissue and roots inside your teeth. Crowns are usually made of porcelain, metal, or a mixture of both for strength and aesthetics. Porcelain crowns are the most common due to their natural appearance and long lifespan. 

The Crown Placement Process 

Before placing a crown, your dentist will first reshape the affected tooth to help the crown fit precisely over top of it. Temporary crowns are placeholders for permanent crowns, which are custom-made using impressions of your teeth. Once the permanent crown arrives, your dentist will use a special dental cement to place it. 

Dental crowns can last between 5 and 20 years with the right care and oral hygiene practices. 

What is a dental bridge?

Dental bridges replace one or more missing teeth that are surrounded by healthy, strong anchor teeth (abutment teeth). The surrounding abutment teeth can either be natural teeth, crowns, or dental implants, depending on the previous work you’ve had done. 

A dental bridge is fixed in place just like a crown, but it can span more space than a crown. For example, bridges can fill in gaps of two or more missing teeth in your mouth. The primary benefit, apart from aesthetics, is that bridges prevent your remaining teeth from shifting in response to the gaps. 

Dental bridges are often made of similar materials to crowns (porcelain and/or metal) and use a special cement to keep them in place. Most bridges last for at least 10 years, but can last for up to 20 years with rigorous hygiene and good habits. 

Functional Benefits

Both crowns and bridges offer structural benefits to your mouth. This means they help you smile, eat, speak, and chew. Crowns and bridges give damaged teeth or mouth gaps the support and function that they’re missing, while preserving or improving the appearance of your smile. 

Tooth Protection

Crowns are helpful for protecting teeth that have suffered from extensive dental work, damage, or decay but are still salvageable. This means you get to eat, talk, and smile like you always have without the need for implants or gaps in your teeth. 

Smile Alignment 

Bridges are extremely beneficial for keeping teeth aligned. When you lose a tooth, your remaining teeth may shift around. This not only changes your smile’s appearance but can also create a breeding ground for harmful plaque and bacteria. With shifted teeth, there are more crevices and crannies in which buildup can occur. 

Shifted teeth can also misalign your bite, which causes jaw and tooth problems down the road. Bridges are true to their name: they bridge the gap between existing teeth to restore and preserve your smile. 

Confidence Boost

Since crowns and bridges are both made of natural-looking materials, they blend seamlessly with your smile. Your dentist will ensure your prosthodontics match the color, shape, and size of your existing teeth. 

Many patients feel more comfortable eating and smiling in public after these treatments. Since they’re so long-lasting, they naturally integrate into your mouth and lifestyle, requiring minimal extra care (if any) and giving you the look you desire. 

Your smile is your first impression on the world. You deserve the confidence boost that comes from having natural-looking, strong, and healthy teeth, no matter your dental history. 

Alani Dental Center: Restorative and Family Dentistry for Aesthetics and Better Oral Health

If you want to restore your smile with comprehensive dentistry or need a new family dentist near Chattanooga, come to Alani Dental Center. No more searching “dentist near me” and being disappointed by the results. At our office, we curate each treatment according to your needs and preferences. Our team has many years of experience restoring smiles of all shapes, sizes, and levels of damage. Crowns and bridges may be just the solution you’ve been waiting for. Book an appointment with us today!