Restore Your Smile with Crowns and Bridges

Crowns and BridgesNo smile is perfect, but smiles which have damaged or missing teeth need restoration to be fully functional and beautiful. Your Lorain, OH family dentist, Dr. Jennifer Robb, uses porcelain bridgework and crowns to fill gaps and bring damaged enamel back to life. Get the wonderful smile you deserve with quality restorative services from Dr. Robb and her team.

What is a dental crown?

Meticulously crafted from fine-grade dental porcelain, a crown is a tooth-shaped cap which covers the visible portion of a damaged tooth. Based on her findings from oral examination and X-rays, your family dentist in Lorain determines if a decayed, injured or misshapen tooth would benefit from this reliable and long-lasting restoration.

The crown process takes a couple of appointments to Dr. Robb's office:

  1. The first involves evaluation of the tooth, taking oral impressions and shaping the tooth to receive the crown.
  2. The second involves permanently bonding the porcelain crown over the prepared tooth and adapting the bite and fit with the opposite arch of teeth.

What is fixed bridgework?

Fixed bridgework replaces missing teeth--one, two or more which neighbor each other. The pontic, or artificial teeth, are naturally-colored and shaped. They attach to remaining real, or abutment, teeth via dental crowns.

Because the abutment teeth receive crowns and anchor the bridgework, they must be ground down and shaped to hold the bridgework in place. The wider the bridge is--in other words, the more pontic teeth there are--the more crowns Dr. Robb will install to hold the appliance securely in place. Your care plan and dental appliance will be custom-made to your specific preferences and oral health needs.

Advantages of crowns and bridgework

These restorations carry the following benefits:

  • Restored smile aesthetics
  • Youthful facial appearance
  • Improve self-confidence
  • Proper speech, biting and chewing
  • Stabilization of teeth adjoining the smile gap (no tooth drift)
  • Long lifespan

When well cared for, most crowns and bridges last for at least ten years.

Cleaning your crown and bridgework

While these restorations don't decay, they can collect harmful plaque and tartar at the gum line, a common place for periodontal problems to begin. So, when you go home with your crowns and bridgework in place, floss carefully at least once a day and brush twice a day just as the American Dental Association advises.

Follow any special instructions your hygienist may give you, and be sure to see Dr. Robb every six months for your route check-up and professional cleaning. Preventive measure such as these will keep your entire smile bright and healthy.

Ready for a change?

Come see Dr. Robb at her Lorain, OH office, and learn more about smile restoration through crowns and bridgework. Call for a consultation at (440) 960-1940.