Restore Your Smile With a Crown or Bridge
Are you searching for a natural-looking smile restoration option? If so, a crown or bridge from North Mississippi Family Dentistry could be your perfect fit!
Crowns
Do you have extensive damage to your teeth? After exploring every dental option, dental crowns may be the best choice for you.
North Mississippi Family Dentistry offers quick and effective crowns for our patients. Also known as “caps,” crowns are placed on teeth with severe damage, cracks, or decay. Dental crowns are the best way to preserve the functionality of damaged teeth.
You can enjoy same-day service since we make and cement your crown in the same appointment. That means you never have to worry about temporary crowns or multiple visits before starting treatment.
Crowns at our Tupelo office look like natural teeth and are typically metal-free. Once tooth decay and damage become too extensive, crowns may be the best solution to your problem.
Do You Need Dental Crowns?
At North Mississippi Family Dentistry, we won’t pressure you into a procedure you don’t need. Depending on the severity of the damage, you may be a candidate for other options, such as fillings or veneers. We’ll discuss every possible option before deciding which treatment is best for your smile.
With our crowns, you can erase a lifetime of wear and tear to protect the functionality of your teeth.
Outside of restoring a tooth, they’re also helpful for:
- Tooth replacement for implant
- Protection from decay
- Filling covers
- Dental bridge holders
- Cosmetic modifications
Our team will create a personalized treatment plan for your dental care regardless of the circumstances.
Caring for Crowns
After your crowns are in place, it’s important to maintain proper oral hygiene to prevent plaque buildup and gum disease. Always brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once.
By doing so, plaque will be less likely to form in areas where the crown meets the gums. To prolong the life of your crown, avoid biting your nails or chewing hard foods and ice.
Bridges
Dental bridges span between remaining teeth to fill a gap left by one or more missing teeth. A bridge uses at least two crowned teeth on either side of the gap.
The two crowned teeth, called abutment teeth, anchor the bridge. Between the two abutment teeth is a false tooth that fills the gap and completes your smile.
The false teeth on a bridge are pontics made from porcelain, alloys, gold, or a combination of dental materials.
The abutment teeth supporting the bridge and its pontics are natural teeth or implants.
Bridges solve many problems that happen as a result of missing teeth. They help you achieve a complete smile for better speaking and eating while looking natural.
Bridges help you maintain your face shape, properly distribute bite forces, prevent remaining teeth from moving out of the proper position, and restore self-confidence.
Types of Bridges
Bridges are available in three main types. These include traditional, cantilever, and Maryland-bonded bridges. Dr. Wall or Dr. Holliday will examine your remaining teeth and determine which bridge type fits your needs.
Traditional bridges involve two crowned teeth on either side of the missing tooth. The pontic is on the bridge between the teeth to fill the space. These are the most common bridges in dentistry and are generally porcelain fused to ceramic or metal.
Cantilever bridges aren’t as common as they once were. These bridges fill a gap when there’s only one tooth adjacent to the missing tooth’s space.
Cantilever bridges put too much strain on the supporting tooth when they’re in the back of the mouth, damaging the abutment tooth. As a result, we don’t use these on back teeth.
Maryland bonded bridges are also known as resin-bonded bridges or simply Maryland bridges. Porcelain, metal frames with porcelain fused on them, and metal or porcelain frames supporting plastic teeth and gums provide options for these bridges.
Like cantilever bridges, a tooth on just one side of the bridge supports the false tooth. However, Maryland bridges involve porcelain wings that the dentist bonds to existing teeth.
How Bridges Work
Your dentist first prepares the abutment teeth for your dental bridge. This process involves recontouring the supportive teeth and removing some enamel for a crown to fit over them. The dentist makes impressions of your teeth. These impressions are a model for crafting your bridge, pontic, and crowns by a specialized dental lab.
While the lab is crafting your bridge, your dentist makes a temporary bridge. This temporary bridge protects your exposed teeth and gums until your new bridge is ready.
You visit the dentist the second time your new porcelain or metal bridge arrives from the lab. The dentist removes your temporary bridge and checks the new one for fit. The dentist performs those if the new bridge needs adjustments during this visit.
You may visit the dentist a few times for the best fit. Finally, the dentist cements the bridge in place.
Learn More about Crowns & Bridges
The right dental care is the first step to an amazing, confident smile. Join us at North Mississippi Family Dentistry to protect your teeth with our proven general and cosmetic dentistry treatment options to keep your smile healthy and beautiful.
Call North Mississippi Family Dentistry today at 662-844-6464 to learn more about dental crowns or book an appointment!