How Crowns and Bridges Work

Posted on May 25, 2016 by admin

Injury, disease and decay are all significant factors that may eventually lead to tooth loss. However, with proper treatment, such as by getting a dental crown or bridge, your smile won’t suffer as much. In fact, your smile may even look better than before as a result.

What Are Dental Crowns and Bridges?

Bridges and crowns are considered as ‘fixed’ dental prosthetic devices or appliances. Dental professionals, preferably prosthodontists, place them by cementing them right onto the affected tooth, or sometimes, to an implant.

Crowns are usually used to cover and strengthen a severely damaged tooth or ‘cap’ an implant. Meanwhile, bridges cover the gaps where a tooth or two once stood by cementing them to the teeth adjacent to the missing teeth.

Getting a bridge or a crown usually requires only two visits, but sometimes more may be necessary. During the first visit, the dentist simply prepares your teeth and gums for the bridge or crown and then takes an impression of the affected teeth or tooth. Then, the impression is sent to a dental laboratory where the crown or bridge is made by a dental technician.

After a few days or weeks, you’ll then be called in for the second appointment where the dentist will now place the crown or bridge on your teeth.

Benefits of Crowns and Bridges

Apart from strengthening damaged teeth and replacing missing ones, bridges and crowns can also help improve the appearance of teeth, by fixing its shape, alignment and bite.

For example, both bridges and crowns can help prevent the gaps left by missing teeth from causing the remaining teeth to shift and causing a bad bite.

How Long Do They Last?

Restorative work such as dental crowns and bridges can last for as long as 15 years with proper care. If you practice proper oral hygiene at home and visit the dentist regularly, your dental crown or bridge should last well into your twilight years.

In case the crown or bridge fails, like the crown falls out, make sure that you place it in a secure, zip-top plastic bag and schedule an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible. In such cases, the crown or bridge may have to be replaced with a new, although the old crown can still be placed and used temporarily until the new one is available.

Note: NEVER EVER try to put a dental crown or bridge back in place yourself.

How To Take Proper Care Of Them

Taking care of dental bridges and crowns is no different from taking care of your natural teeth. Although, you may want to cut back on chewing on hard foods, such as ice and biting your nails, as both can cause damage to the crown or bridge. Also, for added protection for your dental crown and/or bridge, be sure to ask your dentist for a night guard if you grind your teeth at night when you’re asleep.

Brushing twice a day, visiting your dentist regularly and following a proper oral hygiene will ensure that your crown or bridge will last you for a very long time – even until your death!

If you’re considering restoring your smile with the help of a dental crown and bridge, contact Dr. David Lunt, DDS at 818-885-7230 or visit www.davidluntdds.com for additional information regarding crowns and brides.

Three Possible Solutions For Your Missing Teeth | Northridge Dentist

Posted on January 12, 2016 by admin

Missing teeth are not as dire as other dental problems. After all, you can just leave the gaps be and live on with your life. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to chew nor smile as well as before if more than a couple of teeth are missing, you can just go on without them. However, for adults who don’t want to live their rest of their lives with an incomplete smile, dental medicine offers a couple of solutions – three, in fact.

1. Dentures

Lots of people do not like dentures because they have a reputation for looking obvious. However, if done well enough, dentures can easily blend well with the rest of your teeth. Not only that, they’re also a more affordable option, which is why they’re the most common dental solution for missing teeth.

Pros:

Inexpensive compared to other options
Maintenance is easy
Easy to repair

Disadvantages:

May irritate the gums of the other teeth, leading to a condition called “gum stripping”.
Very prone to breaking if not maintained.
The fitting surface will have to be regularly reshaped to fit the growth of your jaw as you grow older.
There is the possibility of the dentures falling off anytime without warning.

2. Bridges

Dental bridges are another possible option for those who want to have their missing teeth replaced. They’re usually constructed by placing a dental crown on the gap once it’s been prepared and then suspending a new bridge in between the said crowns.

Dental bridges are known to last for years and even decades, making them an excellent choice for replacing missing teeth.

Pros:

Very reliable
They look much better compared to dentures
Will last for a very long time

Cons:

Initial costs, replacement and maintenance can be quite expensive.
The gums under the false tooth may form a space underneath after many years, creating an unnatural look and a very unhygienic food trap.
There’s a higher chance of decay around the area of the crown, which can cause problems for your other teeth.

3. Dental Implants

Most dentists today prefer this method as it doesn’t involve destroying any part of the remaining natural teeth. To put simply, a dental implant is just a titanium replacement and can easily be placed in the socket from where your tooth was extracted from. Though, dentists can also create a new socket if necessary.

Implants may be a bit new compared to the other two on this list, but they’re slowly becoming the most common choice among dentists and patients alike.

Dental implants can easily replace anything from one missing tooth to a full set of pearly whites.

PROS:

The safest option of the three.
The best looking because the titanium replacement will be made to look exactly like the remaining natural teeth.
Very low maintenance, doesn’t need to be replaced and are known to last longer than bridges.

CONS:

More costly compared to the other two procedures listed here.

Regardless of which of the three you think is best for you, always consult your local dentist first as they will be the ones to discuss with you the best possible option for your particular case.

Make an appointment today with David Lunt DDS to discuss the options available to you for your missing teeth. Call 818-885-7230 or visit the website at davidluntdds.com.

Proudly serving Northridge, Granada Hills, Reseda, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Winnetka and all surrounding areas.

What are Crowns & Bridges? | Northridge, Ca Dentist

Posted on August 27, 2015 by admin

If you’re dealing with moderate to severe issues and wonder what types of options there are for your particular problem, chances are your dentist will bring up either a dental crown or a dental bridge. If a tooth has a very large area of decay, can it be saved? What happens if the tooth is cracked through the middle? If the pulp of the tooth can be felt prior to going to the dentist, does that mean the entire tooth needs to be removed?

While the best answer to these questions will come from your dentist, two likely options that will be presented are crowns and bridges.

Dental crowns are often chosen when the original tooth is compromised – either weakened from decay, broken, or otherwise unable to maintain itself without assistance. Dental crowns are custom-made – molded to match your existing tooth and fit your normal bite – out of a variety of strong materials such as steel, resin, and porcelain. Like the name suggests, a crown is a shell that goes on top of the rest of the tooth – like a hat on a head, the crown fits snugly atop the base of the tooth, providing an artificial bite surface that is stronger and harder than the natural tooth.

Watch a video on what dental crowns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–5HVnsmVs8

Unlike dental crowns, dental bridges are used in cases where the underlying tooth can not be saved. Dental bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth. Where a crown is affixed to a single tooth to provide strength, a dental bridge is used when the tooth in question must be fully removed. Like a crown, it will be designed by your dentist to match your existing teeth and bite, and then constructed in a lab. Unlike a crown, it will not sit atop a single tooth, but is generally attached to neighboring teeth (usually one tooth on each side of the removed tooth), providing a fake tooth surface where the missing tooth would have been.

Here is an informative video about dental bridges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Gw6vU9gsw

While crowns and bridges are typically only presented as options for patients with significant damage to one or more teeth, they are fairly common. Bridges and crowns are typically recommended as necessities, and as such, insurance will likely cover a portion of the cost. With proper care, bridges and crowns can last 5-15 years, or more, and will allow the patient to chew, drink and speak normally for many years.

Schedule an appointment today with Dr. David Lunt DDS Restorative, Preventive and General Dentistry by calling 818-885-7230. Visit the website for more information at www.davidluntdds.com.

Dr. Lunt welcomes patients from Cal State Northridge, Burbank, San Fernando, Topanga Canyon, Valley Glen, Agoura and all surrounding areas.