Crowns and Bridges

What Are Dental Crowns?

Crowns are a dental restoration procedure that fully cover over the portion of a tooth that lies above the gum line, when cemented into place. This is in comparison to fillings, which fill in or cover over just a portion of a tooth. Because dental crowns cover the entire visible surface area of a tooth, a dental crown basically becomes the tooth's new outer surface.

Crowns can be formed out of porcelain (a sort of dental ceramic), Zirconia (see below), a type of metal (a gold or other metal), or a combination of both.

We Now Offer Zirconia Crowns!

For years, people that have had dental crowns put in have had to deal with the unsightly grey line along their gums that results from porcelain-fused to metal crowns. Sometimes the line would actually turn black, marring your smile forever.

There are new technologies available however that make this a thing of the past! Zirconia crowns helps you eliminate the dreaded black line. Zirconia is an extremely strong material with properties similar to ceramic porcelain, only stronger.

Zirconia crowns will withstand many times the amount of pressure that can be generated in your mouth, all without the metal line and a great seal. Zirconia is so strong it is used for hip replacements now! So for a grdeat looking crown, ask your Gilbert dentist for Zirconia crowns.

Why Get a Dental Crown?

Your Smile America Family Dentistry dentist would recommend a dental crown for a number of different reasons. However, the reason will usually be one of the following three basic categories: 

- To restore a tooth to its original shape 
- To strengthen a tooth 
- To improve the appearance of a tooth.

Porcelain dental crowns are one of the best ways to restore your teeth and create a perfect smile! The dentists at Smile America Family Dentistry  use both Zirconia and porcelain dental crowns because they look and function like your original teeth.

Bridges

Few incidents have greater impact on dental health and personal appearance than tooth loss. When one or more teeth are missing, the remaining teeth can drift out of position, which can lead to a change in the bite, the loss of additional teeth, decay, and gum disease. When tooth loss occurs, your dentist may recommend the placement of a bridge.

When placing a bridge, the teeth on both sides of the space are covered with crowns (caps) and an artificial tooth (pontic) is attached to these crowns.