Dental Crowns and Dental Bridges in Plano, TX
Two of the most common types of restoration are dental crowns and bridges. If you have at least one badly damaged or missing tooth, Dr. Barfield can replace it using crowns or bridges that look like your real teeth and wipe away the embarrassing gap in your smile.
Dr. Barfield on Dental Crowns and Bridges
Read Transcript People need crowns for various reasons. If somebody has ever had a root canal on a tooth, we need to restore the tooth with a crown. Also if (people) someone chips a portion of their tooth, we can restore the tooth by putting a crown on it and the crown will strengthen the tooth and help prevent the tooth from breaking down further. A bridge is a fixed restoration which restores missing teeth. If a person is missing a tooth, we can place a crown on the tooth on either side of the missing tooth and there is a fake tooth between them. It is all bonded together in one piece and it is cemented in place and it restores a missing tooth.
Dental Crowns
When a filling isn’t sufficient to fix your tooth, a crown or “cap” may be an excellent option to strengthen and restore badly damaged or decayed teeth, severely stained teeth, or fractured teeth. A crown covers your original tooth to restore it to its natural shape and size, strengthen and protect it from further decay, and improve its function so that you can comfortably bite and eat again.
In just two visits, your Plano, TX dentist can fit you for a permanent crown and restore your smile. If your tooth is damaged from decay, we’ll remove the decay first and then make a mold of your teeth to send to a lab. After our lab has created your custom crown, you’ll come back for your second visit for Dr. Barfield to place your crown. The process is relatively quick and pain-free, but if you’re anxious, we do offer sedation to calm you and keep you from feeling anything at all.
Back before the days of bonding technology, dental crowns nearly always needed to be made with a metal foundation. Though durable, the metal revealed to everyone that your restored tooth was artificial.
Today, Dr. Barfield makes natural-looking crowns out of pure porcelain or other ceramics that match your healthy teeth, so nothing will give away the secret behind your new smile. However, if you need to restore a damaged tooth in the back of your mouth, he may suggest using a metal crown because it will hold up better than porcelain without being seen.
Dental Bridges
Healthy and strong teeth support and maintain your jaw alignment, or your bite. That’s why when you lose one or more teeth, your remaining teeth may shift and make it hard for you to chew and speak.
A bridge solves this problem by replacing your missing tooth with an artificial tooth, filling in the gap where that tooth had been. The bridge consists of an artificial tooth supported by two permanent porcelain or ceramic crowns, which fit over the two natural teeth on either side of the missing tooth. These teeth are filed down in order to bond the crowns on top. Depending on the number of missing teeth, you may need more than two supporting crowns to ensure the best stability possible.
You may experience sensitivity and numbness after the procedure, but you will quickly be back to eating, speaking, and chewing like normal once again!
If you’re ready for a long-term solution to your missing teeth, contact our Plano, TX office and see our restorative dentist today at 972-905-9266 or via our online form and ask how our dental crowns and dental bridges can change your life. We’d love to give you back the power to eat, speak, and smile with confidence!
