CROWNS AND BRIDGES

If you have damaged or missing teeth, our goal is to provide treatment that restores your oral health.

Dental restorations such as crowns and bridges can give you back the beauty and function of your smile. Damaged or missing teeth can cause you pain and emotional distress. If you are unable to eat properly, damaged or missing teeth can even lead to malnutrition.

We realize that having a crown or bridge placed requires an investment of time and money from our patients, so we want to make sure you are happy with the results. Dr. Katie Daniels can create durable dental restorations that improve your oral health and look completely natural.

Dental Crowns & Bridges

Are Crowns or Bridges Right for You?

Types of Dental Crowns

Dental Crowns

Crowns are used to restore function and shape to teeth that have been cracked or broken. They are also used to treat teeth that have been weakened by large cavities or fillings.

Over time, large fillings start to fail, but often too much of the tooth structure has been removed to predictably restore it with a filling again. When this happens, a crown is needed to protect and restore the tooth’s function.

Crowns are also used as a final restoration on teeth that have had a root canal. When the pulp of the tooth is removed as in root canal therapy, the remaining tooth structure is brittle and prone to breaking without a crown to strengthen it.

In all cases, crowns are made to match your natural teeth and blend in so seamlessly, they are virtually undetectable.

Bridges

Missing teeth can cause esthetic, functional, and speech difficulties. Having missing teeth can also result in your other teeth shifting, which can cause problems with your bite and create undue wear on your healthy teeth.

It’s important to fill in the gap left by missing teeth, and a dental bridge can be a great way to restore—and protect—your smile.

Replacement of a missing tooth can be done predictably with the use of a porcelain bridge. A bridge utilizes the teeth on both sides of the space to support the restoration. The restoration gets its name because it literally bridges the gap between the two teeth. The anchor teeth are crowned, and a porcelain artificial tooth connects the two anchors. A dental bridge is a permanent fixed restoration that does not come in and out of your mouth. It is made to blend with the surrounding teeth and looks very natural.

Dental Crowns & Bridges
Dental Crowns & Bridges

Caring for Crowns and Bridges

Just like your other teeth, teeth that have been restored with crowns or bridges can develop decay at the crown margin (where the tooth and restoration meet). Also, tartar and plaque can still build up around these teeth, putting you at risk for gum disease.

It is important to brush and floss regularly and visit the dentist for regular cleanings and exams so we can maintain the investment you have made in your teeth.

You don’t have to live with damaged or missing teeth with today’s restorative dentistry. Talk to Lake Elmo dentist Dr. Katie Daniels about dental crowns and bridges. Give us a call today!

You Can Have the Smile of Your Dreams Today