Dental Crowns & Bridges: Differences & What Are Their Pros & Cons?
Dental crowns and bridges are common treatments dentists use to address various dental problems to improve the overall appearance of your smile. While they have similarities, they are also different in many ways.
Read to find out more.
What Are Dental Crowns?
A dental crown covers a damaged tooth or supports a dental implant. It is made of different materials, often porcelain or metal, designed to blend in with natural teeth. The entire process involves 2 to 3 visits to be completed.
Benefits of Dental Crowns
- They cover a damaged, cracked, chipped, broken, or misshapen tooth to look natural.
- They cover and conceal a severely discolored tooth.
- They protect a weak tooth from breaking or further damage.
- They cover and protect a severely damaged tooth after root canal therapy.
- They cover dental implants.
- They can last up to 15 years or more with proper care.
Drawbacks of Dental Crowns
- They can be expensive.
- Your dentist must remove a portion of your healthy, natural teeth for the crown to fit.
- They may be durable but prone to breakage or damage without proper care, requiring emergency care. Ask your dentist about the dental emergencies they treat to ensure you are covered.
- The entire process takes 2 to 3 visits to be completed.
What Are Dental Bridges?
These dental devices are used to replace one or more missing teeth and can be either fixed or removable in nature. A fixed (traditional) bridge comprises two crowns on each side of the gap, with a false tooth (called a pontic) between them. The crowns are attached to the adjacent teeth providing support for the pontic, which replaces the missing tooth.
Benefits of Dental Bridges
- They restore bite function and a natural-looking smile.
- They help preserve facial structure by preventing your other teeth from shifting out of place due to a gap left by an extracted or missing tooth.
- They are not as invasive compared to dental crowns.
- They don’t disqualify you from getting another treatment like clear braces to straighten misaligned teeth. You may visit https://hellofamilydental.com/orthodontics/ to see how it works.
Drawbacks of Dental Bridges
- They can be costly.
- They are generally less durable than dental implants, which last much longer.
- Maryland bridges are more prone to breakage.
- They don’t prevent further damage to the adjacent teeth.
Differences Between Dental Crowns and Bridges
The major difference between dental crowns and bridges is how they are used to restore your teeth. Dental crowns are placed over existing teeth to strengthen them, while bridges use adjacent teeth or implants as anchors for the false tooth that replaces a missing tooth.
Additionally, dental crowns can be used to address discolored, misaligned, chipped, broken, or misshapen teeth, while bridges are only used to replace one or more missing teeth. Each treatment also has its own pros and cons that should be discussed with your dentist before you decide which is the best course of action for you.
You may visit this website to seek professional advice or book a consultation in the Suwanee, Georgia area.
