Dental Caps, Crowns, Bridges and Implants

[Vu Le]

As technology introduces new materials and better methods into the dental field, problems that might have kept you from having the kind of smile you’ve always wanted – as well as general teeth health – become easier to solve. These days, just about any problem with broken, missing or weakened teeth can be fixed with the dental crown, or any of the other tools in the average dental practice. It’s important to understand what method works best for a specific problem, so that you can plan with your dentist and explain what you hope to accomplish.

Dental Crowns for Restoring Teeth

Also known as dental caps, the dental crown is a popular procedure done to strengthen teeth that have been weakened or compromised in some way. It consists of very strong and resilient materials bonded to the top of a decayed tooth, to protect it from further damage. Even in cases where the damage is significant, your dentist can fashion a dental crown to restore its appearance. The range of materials available is growing each year as science continues to contribute to the dentistry; gold and porcelain are two of the most common substances used.

It’s important to know a few of the differences between using gold or porcelain as a dental crown. You’ve doubtless seen plenty of gold teeth in your lifetime; because it is a soft metal that doesn’t react biologically, a gold dental crown won’t put undue pressure on the surrounding healthy teeth in your mouth. Furthermore, gold is soft but strong, and so your dentist won’t have to remove as much of the healthy parts of a damaged tooth to provide structural support. The color can be a problem for some people for cosmetic reasons, however. Porcelain crowns take care of this issue, but since the material isn’t as strong as gold, more of the tooth needs to be carved out so that thicker porcelain can be put in for support. Talk to your dentist about the pros and cons to settle on the kind of dental crown that works best for you.

Dental Bridges 

The dental bridge is a more robust extension of the dental crown. Used to replace a middle tooth that is entirely missing, the bridge consists of using your healthy, adjacent teeth as a support bridge for the new tooth your dentist places between them. The dental crown aspect comes into play when crowns are affixed to the tops of both adjacent teeth so that there will be a connecting structure. There are several different variations of the dental bridge to solve multiple varieties of missing teeth; your dentist might use ceramic, porcelain or a metallic framework.

Implants for Restoring a Broken Smile

Dental implants are the modern answer to the dentures of old, which had almost as many cons as pros for many people. While dentures are definitely meant to be a temporary, removable solution to many missing or decayed teeth, dental implants are intended to be permanent. Made to look exactly like normal teeth, they have a cosmetic appeal to most people that is hard to quantify. The fact that they are really strong, with a foundation of the biologically inert metal titanium, means that dental implants can give you a wonderful smile almost indefinitely – while eliminating the tedious removal-replacement-removal process of dentures.

 

About the Author

Dr. Vu Le is the Owner of Vu Le, DDS Inc. Dr. Vu Le is an experienced Foothill Ranch Dentist, specializing in family dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, teeth capping and dental fillings. He is certified, prides himself in building strong relationships with each of his patients and has gained a reputation of excellence in the dental community.