Crown and bridge treatment placed by your dentist in Midlothian, VA will restore lost teeth, support remaining teeth and help you maintain optimum dental health. A crown is placed over a carefully prepared existing tooth. It is used to strengthen, restore or improve the appearance of your natural tooth.

A bridge is placed to replace one or more missing teeth. The bridge anchors to the adjacent teeth. Crowns and bridges are made from semiprecious and precious metals, porcelain or a combination of metal fused to porcelain. Ceramic may also be used.

If you’re missing one or more natural teeth in a row along the same arch, a dental bridge can restore the sturdy, attractive dental structure you’ve been without. Bridges aren’t removable like full and partial dentures – in fact, they’re fixed in place within the patient’s smile by using dental crowns as “anchors” that fit over adjacent healthy teeth, which helps the custom-made prosthetic literally bridge the gap in your smile.

Restoring and Protecting Your Smile

When a tooth has a deep fracture or extensive decay, bacteria can set in and cause numerous oral health problems. At Virginia Center for Advanced Dentistry, our dentists can offer a personalized solution with dental crowns in Midlothian.

Each crown is custom-made to fit perfectly over your tooth and provide lasting protection against decay and damage. If you’re ready to do something about a tooth that has been giving you problems, give us a call to find out if a dental crown is what you need.

What Are Dental Crowns?

Also known as a “cap,” a dental crown is a restorative solution designed to fit over the entire visible portion of your tooth to restore its original structure and function. No two crowns are exactly alike, since each one is made by taking impressions of your unique mouth. Because they’re most often made from tooth-colored dental porcelain, they should also look perfectly natural.

Do I Need a Dental Crown?

Crowns are a popular and versatile solution to a wide variety of dental problems, such as if you have a tooth that:

• Is so badly decayed that it can’t be treated with a filling alone
• Is severely damaged and requires additional support
• Has become weakened or worn down over time and cannot function as it should
• Needs restoration after being treated with root canal therapy
• Suffers from a serious cosmetic flaw that requires correction
• Has been replaced with a single dental implant

Benefits of Dental Crowns

Dental crowns have been used by dentists worldwide for decades to restore and protect countless smiles, and we use them in Midlothian. Their outstanding benefits make them a popular treatment. Some of these advantages include:

• Improved appearance and boosted self-confidence
• Greater protection for a damaged or weakened tooth
• Durability that allows you to chew practically any food
• Easy maintenance
• A potential lifespan of more than 10 years

How Does the Dentist Create a Dental Bridge?

At Virginia Center for Advanced Dentistry in Midlothian, we start this process by altering the existing teeth on either side of the gap so that they’re capable of supporting placed dental crowns.

Then, a detailed mold of the area is created that the dentist sends on to the dental lab for creation. In the meantime, our team will provide a temporary bridge so that you can become used to the fit and feel in the meantime. This restoration will also protect the recontoured teeth and exposed gum tissue from harm.

Once our office has received the permanent bridge (which takes about two weeks), you’ll be invited back to the practice for a second appointment. This new bridge will be placed securely with the help of adhesive in order to ensure a strong and long-lasting fit.

The Benefits of Dental Bridges

When the gap in your smile is filled with a dental bridge, you enjoy the following advantages:

• Your smile is restored.
• You can chew properly and speak clearly again.
• The shape of your face is maintained because the bridge prevents bone loss in the jaw where teeth are missing.
• The forces involved in chewing are distributed across the teeth in the bridge so they don’t put as much pressure on the surrounding teeth.
• The bridge prevents the remaining teeth from drifting towards the gap.

What Happens After I Get My New Dental Bridge?

It is likely that your new bridge will feel a little strange at first within the mouth, but after a few days, it should start to seem like your natural teeth have been restored! We strongly recommend that patients maintain a diet of soft foods early on until they’ve reached this stage; then, you can enjoy all of your favorite meals with plenty of confidence.

Long-term missing teeth can result in damage to your oral health, your smile’s ability to function, and your overall quality of life. That’s why our Virginia Center for Advanced Dentistry team hopes to help you replace them as soon as possible. Please reach out to us today to schedule your first visit!

How Long do Dental Bridges Last?

This depends largely on how well you take care of them — anywhere from five to fifteen years. A patient who gets regular dental checkups and maintains good oral hygiene habits is much more likely to keep their dental bridge in good condition for longer than ten years.

Caring For a Bridge

The success of the bridge depends on the solid foundation the surrounding teeth provide, so it’s critical to keep those teeth healthy. This means being diligent about brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and using an antiseptic mouthwash to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. We will show you how to properly brush and floss with a bridge.

Regular cleaning appointments are important, not just because we can give you that professional deep clean, but so that we can detect any emerging dental problems early. The earlier we catch a problem, the easier (and cheaper!) the solution will be.

Another factor that goes into caring for your dental bridge is what you eat. Once you grow accustomed to the bridge, you can go back to eating the foods you enjoy, for the most part. However, some types of food present more of a problem for dental bridges and we recommend avoiding them long-term:

• Chewy or sticky candy can easily pull the crowns off the anchor teeth.
• Hard candy or snacks like popcorn or nuts can damage the bridge.
• Sugary foods increase the risk of tooth decay under the crowns.

Who Is a Good Candidate for a Dental Bridge?

Not everyone with missing permanent teeth is a good candidate for a dental bridge. The factors we’re looking for include:

• Missing one or more permanent teeth in a row on the same arch.
• Good overall health (meaning no severe health conditions or infections)
• The remaining teeth are healthy, with a strong bone structure that will support the bridge.
• Good oral health.
• Keeping up with oral hygiene habits.

If you think a dental bridge might be the smile solution you’ve been looking for, get in touch with us to set up an appointment. We can determine if you’re a good candidate and get started on restoring your smile! Just make sure to check the map for directions to our Midlothian practice!