Crowns and Bridges

Even a single missing tooth can make chewing and speaking difficult. To keep your teeth healthy and strong, Aury Arroyo-Lourenco, DDS, and the team at My Tooth Place in Westminster, California, offer dental crowns and bridges. These fixed dental prosthetics restore the look and function of your teeth so you can feel confident once again. If you think crowns and bridges can improve your smile, call the office or request an appointment online today.

What is a dental crown?

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap that fits over a damaged tooth to restore its size, shape, strength, and color. These restorations are typically recommended to cover:

• Chipped teeth
• Cracked or broken teeth
• Severe tooth discoloration
• Teeth worn down by grinding (bruxism)
• Misshapen teeth
• Teeth with large fillings

In addition to restoring the strength and appearance of your teeth, crowns protect from further damage by sealing out harmful plaque and bacteria.

How are crowns placed?

My Tooth Place uses a traditional method of crown placement that takes two appointments. If your provider decides that a crown is right for you, they will remove a portion of your enamel from your tooth to provide a strong, stable base for the crown. Next, impressions are taken of your teeth. These impressions provide an accurate model for your new crown.

At the second appointment, your provider checks the crown to ensure it’s the right fit and shade before placing and cementing it in place with a special dental adhesive.

What is a dental bridge?

A dental bridge fills the gap left behind by a missing tooth by utilizing the teeth around it.

Much like a real bridge, a dental bridge is held in place by two anchors or “abutments” — the teeth on each side of your missing tooth. These abutments add stability to your pontic — the false tooth in the middle of the anchor abutments — and hold it in place.

How is a dental bridge placed?

Once your provider decides that a dental bridge is right for you, they must prepare your teeth for dental crowns. They shape the teeth to provide a solid, stable base for your new crowns, ensuring they can effectively hold your new replacement tooth in place.

Next, the My Tooth Place team takes impressions of your teeth to create your new bridge. A dental laboratory helps create your new bridge under your provider’s guidance. While you wait for your new restorations, your provider fits you for a comfortable temporary bridge that is worn for a short time while you wait for your beautiful new bridge. 

When you return to My Tooth Place about two weeks later, your provider removes the temporary bridge and replaces it with your new final teeth.

Dental crowns and bridges restore the strength, appearance, and function of your teeth. To schedule an appointment with an expert dentist, call My Tooth Place or request one online today.