Dentists offer many procedures for repairing and strengthening your smile. Some of the most common dental procedures include crowns and bridges. These two treatments can restore damaged teeth and replace missing teeth. Your Rochester family dentist, Dr. Gilly Calcagno, explains the differences and gives some tips to help you potentially avoid the need for these procedures.
Crowns
A variety of materials can be used to fabricate dental crowns. A crown is a cap that fits completely over a damaged tooth, keeping the healthy structure intact and protecting the tooth from further damage. Usually, crowns are made of metal, but recent innovations in dentistry allow patients to receive porcelain crowns. Esthetically pleasing, ceramic or porcelain crowns look natural and are shaded and shaped to Dr. Calcagno’s specifications. Dr. Calcagno also offers CEREC crowns, which can be milled and placed in one visit, instead of the normal two.
Reasons for dental crowns include:
- Permanently stained or discolored teeth
- Chipped or fractured teeth
- Extensive tooth decay
- Misshapen teeth
- Replacing fillings, inlays, or onlays
Bridges
A dental bridge replaces one or more missing teeth in a row. A bridge uses a fabricated tooth attached to crowns on either side. These crowns are then placed on the healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth/teeth. A dental bridge will allow a seamless restoration of your smile, filling in the gap left by one or more missing teeth, and returning your ability to chew and speak properly.
Your Rochester Dentist Can Help
In nearly every situation, the use of crowns and bridges could have been avoided with simple preventive dentistry. Believe it not, brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once day, plus rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash, will help prevent the onset of tooth decay and gum disease. These two dental issues can cause severe cavities that necessitate the use of crowns, and gum disease, if untreated, causes tooth loss, which a bridge can correct. Attending regular checkups and cleanings with your Rochester family dentist will give Dr. Calcagno an opportunity to check for the early warning signs of tooth decay and gum disease. This allows Dr. Calcagno to help create a treatment plan that can potentially prevent the need for future crowns and bridges.
Schedule an Appointment Today
Do you require dental procedures such as crowns and bridges? For your next checkup or cosmetic dentistry procedure, reach out to our 55902 dentist office. To learn more about what Dr. Calcagno can do for you, call (507) 281-3659 to schedule an appointment. We welcome patients from Rochester, Red Wing, St. Charles, Winona, Farmington, and surrounding areas.
