Dental Crowns and Bridges
Modern life can be hard on your teeth. From the everyday threats of tooth decay and gum disease to sports or other accidental trauma, you are in good company. Dental stats show that most Americans have at least one damaged, broken, or missing tooth. Potential issues arising from neglecting to replace teeth begin with difficulty eating, leading to significant nutritional deficiencies over time. Also, heart disease, diabetes, and even certain cancers are linked to a lack of tooth replacement.
That's why the team at Dental Health of Maplewood specializes in numerous types of tooth restorations and replacements tailored to your needs and lifestyle. In general, the appliances to address your tooth loss will consist of an underlying framework to support one or more dental crowns which appear and function indistinguishably from natural teeth. So let us help you choose a dental bridge, porcelain crowns, or other solution to missing and damaged teeth.
What Dental Crowns Are and How They're Made
The essence of our approach to tooth replacement is to offer you many more options than most dentists in the St. Paul area so that your dental appliance works just like you've always hoped. So we start at the top with your dental crown.
An excellent way to visualize a tooth crown is as a helmet that restores your tooth function and, in many cases, looks just like your natural tooth. We offer nearly every variety imaginable dental crown because each type provides a unique combination of benefits and value. For example, for less visible back teeth which need to resist high chewing pressures, you may choose gold or other base-alloy metal crowns.
Your dentist at Dental Health of Maplewood will help you choose your dental crown material. Here are some popular choices:
- Full ceramic porcelain – very popular and attractive, porcelain dental crowns are precision-crafted but are less durable than their reinforced cousins
- Porcelain-veneered zirconia – attractive as regular porcelain crowns but stronger as the foundation is made from zirconia
- Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) – the most durable option that appears tooth-colored but has an inner metal framework
Plus, for temporary use, while our lab fabricates your dental crown, we may suggest a temporary crown composed of resin and suitable for a short time, so you don't have to suffer from diminished teeth even for a short time.
Dental Bridges Are Ideal for Replacing Adjacent Teeth
If you're missing one or more teeth where multiple lost teeth are in a row, our dental professionals may recommend a dental bridge. As the name implies, a dental bridge fills the gap caused by a missing tooth or teeth and attaches to teeth on either side. In many cases, we will reinforce your anchor teeth with dental crowns of their own. This lends the entire system added strength where you might need it, especially near the back of your mouth.
New dental bridge technology now offers you other methods to secure your tooth replacement. Along with crowned teeth, your dental bridge can be secured using standard or even mini dental implants. Because these options attach your appliance directly to your mouth and jaw, they are exceptionally secure and stimulate bone regeneration in a way conventional dental bridges and even dentures can't.
Dental Crowns and Bridge Specialists in Maplewood, MN
Though we may find it easy to ignore damaged or missing teeth, the negative impacts on your health are undeniable. But it's also essential to choose a dentist who puts your needs first and can offer such a range of options that you can feel confident that your solution will be an excellent fit.
We encourage you to call our St. Paul dental office and schedule an appointment today. We always welcome new patients and are excited to restore your smile for years to come.
