Dental Crowns and Dental Bridges

If you have a missing tooth or missing teeth in Colorado Springs, CO, and don’t fill in those gaps, it could change the structure of your mouth. Your teeth are what keep your mouth’s bone tissue sturdy and healthy. When you have a missing tooth, that tissue will weaken because it’s not being used. This can cause your mouth to sag and cave in. It will also cause your remaining teeth to shift and become crooked in your mouth, which will affect your bite. Missing teeth can also cause headaches, jaw pain, tooth decay, and neck pain. That’s where dental bridges and crowns can help.

What Is a Dental Bridge?

A dental bridge in Colorado Springs, CO, is a permanent dental appliance that can be used to replace one or more missing teeth. A dental bridge works by taking an artificial tooth (or teeth) and adjoining it with the adjacent teeth on each side of the gap.

What Is a Dental Crown?

A dental crown in Colorado Springs, CO is a permanent cap made of metal, resin, ceramic, or porcelain that is placed on a damaged tooth, dental implant, or dental bridge to cover and protect it. The dental crown is designed to completely encircle your tooth, dental implant, or dental bridge and is bonded to that tooth using dental cement.

How Dental Bridges and Crowns Are Used Together

A dental bridge is what fills in the gap(s) left by a missing tooth/teeth. The dental bridge is then anchored to the remaining adjacent teeth. A dental crown is what helps hold the dental bridge in place. In order for the dentist to properly secure the dental bridge in your mouth, they must reshape the two adjacent teeth. This requires the dentist to remove much of the enamel from those teeth. That’s why the adjacent teeth will need to be topped with crowns. Your new artificial tooth is placed in the middle and will be supported by the two adjacent crowns.