As your dentist in Gilbert, one of the most important jobs I have other than taking care of your teeth is to clear up misinformation whenever I discover it. One area where misinformation comes up is in the area of crowns and bridges.

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Aren’t Crowns and Bridges Cosmetic Dentistry?

Aren’t crowns and bridges cosmetic dentistry?  Yes and no.  Let’s look at bridges first.  According to WebMD:

“Dental bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth.
“A bridge is made up of two or more crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap — these two or more anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth — and a false tooth/teeth in between. These false teeth are called pontics and can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants.
Bridges can:
Restore your smile
Restore the ability to properly chew and speak
Maintain the shape of your face
Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position
What Types of Dental Bridges Are Available?
There are three main types of dental bridges:
Traditional bridges involve creating a crown for the tooth or implant on either side of the missing tooth, with a pontic in between. Traditional bridges are the most common type of bridge and are made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.
Cantilever bridges are used when there are adjacent teeth on only one side of the missing tooth or teeth. This is not very common any more and is not recommended in the back of the mouth where it can put too much force on other teeth and damage them.
Maryland bonded bridges (also called a resin-bonded bridge or a Maryland bridge) are made of porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, or plastic teeth and gums supported by a metal or porcelain framework. Metal or porcelain wings often on just one side of the bridge are bonded to your existing teeth.” [VIEW SOURCE]

Bridges not only help to improve your smile, they can help you to keep your jaw from being unbalanced, and make it much easier to chew your food. That pretty much covers bridges, but what are crowns?

Do You Need Dental Crowns?

A dental crown is essentially an anchoring point for bridges, but it can also restore a tooth to it’s former shape.  If you get a good crown, they are very hard to tell apart from your real teeth.
As you see, sometimes there is more to dental care than just how something looks.  In fact, you may be surprised how your Gilbert dentist can help you.
Gilbert Vista Dental Care
2451 East Baseline Road #210
Gilbert, AZ 85234
(480) 503-5467
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