You may have missing teeth that leave you with an unattractive gap in your smile. You may lose your teeth due to dental decay, gum disease, or injury. Besides leaving unsightly gaps in your smile, teeth loss may also put you at risk of various oral health problems, including a misaligned bite and pain. Malocclusion can worsen or lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. Therefore, if you have one or more missing teeth, your dental expert will most likely recommend crowns and bridges Hollywood. Your dentist will help you choose the better choice between crowns and bridges. Consequently, below are the differences you may need to know between dental crowns and bridges.
What are dental crowns and dental bridges?
Dental crowns are an artificial tooth option that covers your entire tooth, especially when an existing natural tooth is decaying or damaged. Your dentist may advise that you get a dental crown if the tooth cusp is missing, the tooth is fractured and susceptible to breaking, or a sizeable part of a tooth’s center is missing because of damage or decay.
Your dentist will cement your crown over your decaying or damaged tooth to improve its overall function and appearance.
On the other hand, dental bridges consist of more than one connection of dental crowns.
The outside crowns of your dental bridges will cover the two teeth existing between the gap left by your missing tooth. And the inner or interior crowns serve as a replacement for your missing tooth or teeth.
Types of crowns and bridges
If you require a dental crown to strengthen your tooth and enhance its overall appearance and alignment, your dental professional may recommend different types of crowns for you.
Dental crowns differ depending on the material or combination of materials used to make them. The different types of dental crowns include ceramic crowns, porcelain crowns, gold alloy crowns, and base metal alloy crowns.
For instance, base metal alloy crowns are highly buxic resistant to corrosion and thus are incredibly durable. Moreover, base metal alloy crowns require less interference with the tooth’s structure to restore its function and appearance.
On the other hand, there are also four different types of dental bridges: traditional bridges, Maryland bridges, Cantilever bridges, and Implant-supported bridges. For example, conventional dental bridges are more popular than other bridges, and they involve using crowns on either side of the smile gap, holding your false teeth in place.
One main disadvantage of traditional dental bridges is that your dentist will have to remove the enamel of the teeth adjacent to the gap left by a missing tooth. That is done to create more space to firmly fix dental crowns on top.
According to a Journal of Dentistry study, a cantilever dental bridge is suitable when there is only a single adjacent supporting tooth. Thus, cantilever dental bridges are great if you have a missing back tooth or teeth.
Whether your dentist recommends permanent or temporary bridge or crown placement, adhere to the provided homecare instructions to ensure they last longer. Your dentist may require you to floss carefully, brush your teeth frequently and refrain from chewing hard, hot or sticky foods.
Contact Allure Dental of Hollywood today to schedule an appointment and learn more about dental crowns and bridges.
