Crowns And Bridges Specialist
Oasis Family Dental
Paula Skowronski-Adamiak, DDS
Family Dentist & Facial Aesthetics Specialist located in Jefferson Park, Chicago, IL
Crowns and bridges help restore your smile, protect weak teeth, and bridge the gaps created by missing teeth. At Oasis Family Dental in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, skilled general and cosmetic dentist Paula Skowronski-Adamiak, DDS, provides crowns and bridges to patients who need to protect a tooth after a root canal or replace missing teeth to maintain their best oral health. Crowns and bridges also enhance your teeth aesthetically so you feel confident sharing your smile with others. Schedule your consultation online today or call the friendly office staff to learn more.
Crowns and Bridges Q & A
What are dental crowns?
A dental crown is a “cap” that fits over an individual tooth. Crowns look and function like your natural teeth and help restore a decayed or damaged tooth to its original shape, size, and color. Crowns are also the visible portion of a dental implant.
Most crowns are made of porcelain or ceramic, although they can be metal with ceramic over the top. Porcelain looks most like your natural teeth and can closely match the surrounding teeth, so people won’t notice which tooth has a crown. Once placed, crowns are a permanent part of your mouth.
What are dental bridges?
Dental bridges are dental prosthetics that replace missing teeth. Bridges attach to your natural teeth or crowns for support. They’re not removable once they’re in place.
There are three different types of dental bridges: traditional, cantilever, and Maryland. A traditional bridge is a false tooth (pontic) that’s held in place by dental crowns cemented to abutment teeth, the teeth on either side of the crown. A cantilever bridge is similar to a traditional bridge, but it’s only held in place by one crown and abutment tooth.
Maryland bridges are similar to traditional bridges, but instead of attaching to crowns on abutment teeth, a Maryland bridge attaches to the back of your natural teeth. Your dentist could also recommend an implant-supported bridge that uses implant-supported crowns as the abutment teeth.
What are the benefits of crowns and bridges?
Crowns and bridges offer many benefits to people with weak or missing teeth. They can:
- Maintain facial structure
- Restore chewing and talking abilities
- Restore proper bite patterns
- Prevent adjacent teeth from shifting
- Restore the aesthetics of your smile
- Protect a fractured tooth
- Protect a decayed tooth
Your dentist can also recommend a custom crown after a root canal to protect the tooth from further decay so you don’t lose the tooth. If you’re missing a tooth, an implant-supported crown replaces the tooth so you can eat and talk naturally. It also supports your oral health by preventing teeth from shifting out of place.
As an added benefit, dental crowns and bridges are not vulnerable to tooth decay like your natural teeth. Maintaining good oral hygiene with regularly scheduled dental checkups can help your crowns and bridges last a long time.
If you’re missing a tooth or had a root canal and you want to learn more about crowns and bridges, contact the office through the convenient online system or call to schedule a consultation.