If you’re facing the challenge of one or more missing teeth, your dental professional might suggest artificial replacements. While dentures offer a removable solution, they may not suit everyone due to concerns about potential sliding, shifting, or accidental dislodging. This is where dental crowns attached to implants and bridges, crafted to mimic natural teeth, step into the picture. So, when it comes to choosing between crown implants and bridges, which option is the best fit for you? Let’s explore the similarities, differences, advantages, and disadvantages of these fixed artificial tooth alternatives, ensuring that even with a couple of artificial teeth, your smile maintains its authentic charm.
Navigating the Terrain: Dental Crowns vs. Dental Bridges
Dental Crowns
A dental crown can cap a damaged or decaying tooth or be placed on a dental implant to replace a missing tooth. Dental implants are metal fixtures anchored to your jawbone, providing stable support through osseointegration, a process where the bone fuses to the metal. The healing process after implant placement can take 6-12 weeks. Following this, a metal post is inserted into the implant, onto which the crown is mounted.
Dental Bridges
Bridges are used exclusively to replace missing teeth. They consist of two crowns, one on each end, and a bridge of replacement teeth in the area where tooth loss occurred. The end crowns can fuse to existing teeth or dental implants.
Both replacement tooth options are crucial for maintaining oral health. Gaps from tooth loss can cause neighboring teeth to shift, leading to a misaligned bite. Additionally, missing teeth can contribute to gum disease and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
Understanding How Crowns Work
Crowns are employed to cap damaged, weak, or decaying teeth, preserving their size, strength, shape, and appearance. In cases of missing teeth, a dental professional provides a dental implant, over which the crown is placed. Crowns can be crafted from various materials, such as durable and cost-effective gold or metal alloy, or more aesthetically appealing porcelain, acrylic, or ceramic.
Exploring the Mechanism of Bridges
Bridges are designed solely for replacing missing teeth. The process involves placing caps on filed-down teeth or dental implants at the outer edges of the tooth loss area. Replacement teeth span the gap between the caps. Like crowns, bridges offer material choices, with the dental professional guiding patients based on individual needs.
Crafting Crowns and Bridges
Crowns
For crowns, a dental professional like All Smiles Family Dentistry makes an impression of your bite for determining the best shape of the new tooth. The model is then sent to a lab where the crown is created, a process taking a few weeks.
Bridges
Before crafting a bridge, teeth at the edges of the tooth loss area are reduced in size. An impression provides a mold for the bridge, created in-office or at a dental lab. Temporary crowns or bridges cover prepared teeth while the lab completes the bridge.
Longevity of Crowns and Bridges
With vigilant oral hygiene practices, the lifespan of crowns and bridges extends indefinitely. The routine duo of brushing, flossing, and periodic dental check-ups form an unwavering alliance against potential challenges. Yet, it’s essential to acknowledge that unforeseen factors like rigorous chewing habits or dental diseases may cast a shadow on the steadfastness of these prosthetics.
Final Thought
In the grand narrative of dental health, both crowns and bridges assume leading roles, adding chapters of confidence and genuine smiles to your story. Whether you gravitate toward the regal aura of dental crowns or the bridging marvel of dental bridges, the crescendo of your smile’s revival awaits its cue.
Let All Smiles Family Dentistry guide you through this odyssey, ensuring that your chosen path ushers in an era of renewed self-assurance and joyous smiles. Contact us todayΒ toΒ book your appointmentΒ and take the first step towards a healthier, brighter smile.
