Crowns and Bridges

Crowns and Bridges have been the best method for restoring broken teeth and replacing lost teeth for more than 100 years. In fact, dentistry (like cooking) is one of those rare fields that still use techniques developed that long ago. Crown and Bridge is still the most commonly used method of comprehensive restorative dentistry. On this page we will cover the specifics of crown and bridge, but we also encourage you to look at our pages on "CEREC^®" and "Dental Implants" under "Our Services". These two technologies are the wave of the future in restorative dentistry. They offer the promise of avoiding crowns all together, saving more of your mouth's original healthy enamel.

To understand why we recommend restoring your damaged or missing teeth, it may help to know what a healthy tooth is, and how problems with a tooth can affect other teeth. When a tooth is damaged or missing, it can lead to bite problems, jaw pain, or tooth decay and gum disease.

Each tooth affects other Teeth

Each tooth, like members of a team, help the other teeth- and surrounding structures-do their job. If one tooth is missing, it can cause other teeth to drift out of position, changing your bite (the way upper and lower teeth fit together). When teeth move out of place surrounding muscles and joints in your jay may become sore.

One Tooth Missing can cause the position of other teeth to change. The space left by the missing tooth may cause some teeth to tilt forward, or opposing teeth to move down. A missing tooth can also create spaces between your teeth, changing your bite and smile.

Shifting and Drifting teeth could lead to changes in your chewing muscles, bones and joints, making chewing difficult or painful. Teeth that have moved out of their normal position can tip over and become hard to clean. This can lead to tooth decay and gum disease.

Please choose one of the web pages on the upper left of this page to get more in-depth information about crowns and bridges. We are happy to give you further information on these concepts and other options for fractured or missing teeth at a future office visit.