Dental crowns and bridges are permanent prosthetic devices designed to cover damaged teeth or implants or to replace missing teeth. They are fitted and cemented into place by your dentist.
Crowns, or caps, cover damaged teeth or implants to strengthen teeth and improve appearance. They can be made of porcelain, ceramic, gold or metal alloys, or acrylic. Porcelain and ceramic crowns can be matched to the color of surrounding teeth.
A bridge is a replacement tooth anchored between dental crowns. The replacement tooth is held in place by capping the surrounding teeth or dental implants. Bridges are made of the same materials as crowns. Your Premier Dental Group dentist will help you choose the material that is right for you.
Bridges not only improve appearance, but prevent some common complications stemming from missing teeth such as shifting teeth, bite problems, gum disease, and TMJ.
How It Works
Before creating a crown or bridge, we will reduce the size of the teeth to be capped. An impression will be made and sent to a dental lab, which creates the crown or bridge to our specifications. While waiting for your crown or bridge to be made, temporary crowns will be affixed to your prepared teeth. When the crown or bridge is ready, the temporary crown is removed, and the permanent prosthetic is cemented into place.
Both crowns and bridges can last a lifetime, given proper dental care. Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, and use dental floss.
Visit one of our offices in Northwest Indiana for more information about crowns and bridges.