Dental crowns and bridges may be needed in situations where you have missing teeth or need to enhance the appearance of a tooth. When you have a missing tooth, surrounding teeth can begin shifting into the gap left by the tooth. Dental crowns and bridges are fixed prosthetic devices that can be attached to an existing tooth or implant by your dentist in Mesa AZ. Dental crowns are typically useful for covering a damaged tooth or to cover a dental implant. Dental bridges can be used for covering spaces left by one or more missing teeth. They are cemented to implants or natural teeth around the space where the original tooth once was.

Dental Crowns

The purpose of a crown is to completely cover a damaged tooth. This helps to strengthen the damaged tooth and enhance its appearance, alignment, or shape. We can also place a dental crown over a dental implant to make it appear and function like a tooth. Materials like porcelain and ceramic can be used in crowns to match the original color of your tooth. Some other materials that are commonly used include gold, metallic alloys, ceramic, and acrylic. Metal alloys are usually somewhat stronger than porcelain and may be advised for back teeth that have more pressure placed upon them when chewing.

We may recommend a crown for you if you need to:

* Keep a weak tooth from breaking
* Attach a bridge or restore a fractured tooth
* Cover poorly shaped or discolored teeth
* Cover and protect a tooth that has undergone a root canal

Dental Bridges

If you are missing one or more teeth, you may need a bridge. Surrounding teeth can eventually shift into the space left by missing teeth, leading to a bad bite or other problems. Dental bridges span the gap where the teeth once existed. They are cemented to either your natural teeth nearby or dental implants. The teeth that act as anchors for the dental bridge are known as abutments.

A number of of materials are also available for bridges, including ceramic and porcelain to match the color of existing teeth.