Crowns and bridges offer a simple way to improve your smile if you're concerned about a damaged or missing tooth or want to change the way a tooth looks. Tracy C. Sullivan, DDS; Peter A. Grieser, DDS; and Kevin L. Yoder, DDS; your Port Orchard, WA, dentists, explain how crowns and bridges can help your smile.

What are crowns?

Crowns cover a tooth completely. They're often recommended if a tooth is damaged, but they can also be used to improve the appearance of your teeth. Crowns are made from a variety of materials, including porcelain, porcelain-fused-to-metal, ceramic, resin, nickel, gold and other metals.

What are bridges?

Bridges are used by your Port Orchard dentists to replace missing teeth and consist of one or more artificial teeth attached to crowns on either side. They're usually made from porcelain or porcelain-fused-to-metal.

Why do I need a crown or bridge?

Cracked teeth can break if they're aren't protected and stabilized by crowns. If your tooth has already broken, a crown will restore it and protect it from further damage. Crowns are also used to strengthen teeth weakened by large fillings and root canal treatments. These versatile restorations are also used to conceal chips and discolorations, change the appearance of an oddly shaped tooth or lengthen a short tooth.

Bridges prevent several issues that can occur if you fail to replace a missing tooth, such as bite problems and difficulty chewing or speaking clearly. Your remaining teeth may eventually begin to overlap if you don't fill the gap in your smile, which can make it difficult to completely remove plaque.

Will my crown or bridge be obvious?

During the first step in the crown or bridge process, your dentist makes an impression of your mouth to ensure that your crown or bridge fits in perfectly with the rest of your teeth. They send the impression to a dental laboratory that creates your custom-made restoration. Since crowns and bridges are constructed of materials that look very much like natural tooth enamel, it won't be obvious that you've had any dental work performed.

Are you ready to improve your smile with crowns and bridges? Call Tracy C. Sullivan, DDS; Peter A. Grieser, DDS; and Kevin L. Yoder, DDS; your Port Orchard, WA, dentists, at (360) 895-4321 to schedule an appointment. Restore your smile with crowns and bridges!

Having a gaping hole in your smile is never a pleasant situation. Gaps are, at the very least, embarrassing and at worst, they cause neighboring teeth to drift and weaken and gum tissue and jaw bone to be lost through recession.

Your Port Orchard cosmetic dentist can show you several ways to fill gaps in your smile - including the time-tested options of dental crowns, and implant-retained crowns, and fixed bridges. All these options are natural-looking, gap-eliminating choices for the individual who have lost teeth or have seriously compromised teeth because of:

• accident
• decay
• cracks and chips
• discoloration and stains
• root canal therapy

The dental crown

After a thorough smile evaluation, the dentist may recommend placing a porcelain or porcelain and metal alloy crown, over a tooth. The crowns are custom fabricated and match the rest of the teeth in your mouth for color, size, and shape. The dental crown restores the look, feel and function of a tooth, and, of course, it leaves no gap behind. Durable and lasting for 8 to 10 years with proper dental hygiene, the dental crown is permanently cemented in place and perfectly accommodates the patient's natural bite.

The dentist does remove old fillings and some tooth enamel to shape the tooth to receive the crown. Sometimes, a crown is placed over a dental implant after a tooth extraction or it may be used as an anchor for a fixed bridge, the other traditional method of closing gaps in a smile.

The fixed bridge

The fixed bridge is a restoration consisting of one or more replacement teeth. It is joined to neighboring natural teeth with dental crowns. Just as with dental crowns, the fixed, non-removable bridge is fabricated in a lab according to an impression taken by the dentist and follows the doctor's treatment plan. The new bridge fills the gap exactly with a tooth (or teeth) that is the right color, size, shape, and bite. The match is so good that the restoration is virtually indistinguishable from the natural teeth.

According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the fixed bridge should last 7 to 10 years or more. As with the dental crown, the patient should:

• floss around his bridgework once a day and brush twice daily
• see his dentist for routine cleanings and check-ups twice a year
• be gentle with the restorations, never chewing ice or other hard foods or tearing open packaging with the teeth (natural or not)

You can have that complete and natural-looking smile.