Missing Teeth? Crowns and/or Bridges May Be Your Solution!

So What Is The Difference Between Crowns and Bridges?

This patient is missing several front teeth including the lateral incisors which will be replaced by all-porcelain bridges. The dental laboratory has cut away the tissue on the models to check the margins of this bridge.

This is a good question and asked by many. The term ‘crown‘ is used for a ‘cap’ that is placed over a tooth to make it stronger, modify the shape or color of a tooth. Crowns are often needed when a tooth is broken down and there is not enough support for just a ‘filling’.

If you have missing, weak, or broken down teeth, dentistry that includes crowns and bridges can help! Teeth can be lost from trauma, periodontal disease, or may be missing since birth. Teeth may have had several fillings over their life – each one bigger than the last which makes the remaining tooth weak. Crowns or caps can strengthen the remaining tooth and help you keep your tooth for a lifetime. Bridges can be made to look like you have never lost a tooth.

Different types of crowns for front teeth

Single posterior crowns – gold and porcelain

If your cracked tooth isn’t capped with a dental crown or tooth crown, the fracture or crack can spread to the roots, meaning that extraction and replacement would be the next course of action. Don’t let your damage get that far, contact us or your dentist today to evaluate your options! If you have already lost a tooth, your dentist can tell you if the remaining teeth are strong enough to support a bridge or if an alternative treatment like dental implants would be best.

A bridge is multiple crowns splinted together to span a distance between teeth to replace missing teeth or fill in gaps between existing teeth. So, just as on a highway, a bridge spans over a gap between teeth and fills in the missing area in the middle with tooth structure. Sometimes a bridge will fill in the space present when the gums have receded or when periodontal disease has caused bone loss. The bridge can fill in the areas of missing bone and gums and the gum area can even be shaded to match your gums!

Missing anterior teeth to be replaced by a dental bridge.

Replacing missing anterior with a dental bridge.

For gaps made up of one to three missing teeth, Dr. Gillis offers dental bridges as a permanent correction solution. Our staff has years of experience providing this service to patients in need, and we’re well aware of the many benefits bridges give. The crowns that will secure your dental bridge will only be applied to teeth with strong roots, but they can also be applied to dental implants if your existing teeth are not sturdy enough. Dr. Gillis will work with you to take notes on the size, shape, and coloring of your teeth to send to the certified ceramist that will create your permanent tooth crowns and bridge. This is done to match your smile and jaw as closely as we can. If you want a brighter smile, it might be worth looking into the teeth whiteningtreatments that we have before your tooth bridge is ordered. Our staff will provide you with the necessary information and treatment options so you can make decisions that work best for you to return the health, function, and beauty to your smile.

Bridges and crowns can be made form many different materials to accomplish the necessary goals of strength and beauty.

Dr. Gillis practices restorative and cosmetic dentistry including porcelain veneers, tooth whitening, implants, crowns, bridges and periodontal care in Grand Junction, Colorado. Our office website is www.juliegillisds.com. For further information, please contact us at (970) 242-3635 or email us at jgillis@rosemontdev.com.

Yours for better dental health,

Julie Gillis DDS, AAACD

Restoring Teeth, Restoring Smiles

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