Decaying, cracked or missing teeth affect your appearance, oral health, and function. When natural tooth structure is failing or absent altogether, dental bridges and crowns in State College from Donald Marks Family Dentistry return smiles to full health and natural-looking appearance. And, your restorative dentist, Dr. Marks or Dr. Martin, makes it so easy and quick, you’ll be delighted.
What is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a permanent restoration which protects and supports healthy tooth structure. Made according to oral impressions, crowns preserve teeth which have suffered injury, undergone root canal therapy, or are extensively decayed. Also, crowns cover dental implants, today’s superior tooth replacements.
Placed in one or two appointments depending on the material used, crowns are precision-crafted from:
- Porcelain
- Metal alloy
- Gold (the strongest)
- Porcelain fused to metal (PFM)
During the procedure, your dentist shapes the existing tooth structure to receive its crown. He takes impressions of your mouth and may place a temporary restoration to cover the tooth while the dental lab fabricates the restoration. During the next appointment, the doctor removes the temporary restoration and bonds the crown in place.
Additionally, your restorative dentist in State College offers CEREC technology. CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. This procedure is performed entirely in the treatment room and crafts a dental crown from a solid block of ceramic. Your dentist takes precise digital impressions (without gooey impression putty) and designs a realistic crown using CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) software. A milling machine fabricates a perfect crown in 15 to 20 minutes, and you can even watch the process! In total, you will receive your CEREC crown in about two hours or less.
Most dental crowns last seven to ten years or more with daily flossing and twice a day brushing at home. Dr. Marks and Dr. Martin recommend all their patients get semi-annual examinations and professional cleanings.
What is a Dental Bridge?
Secured by crowns to neighboring teeth, a dental bridge spans a smile gap with natural-looking prosthetic teeth. Bridgework normalizes your appearance, your speech and your biting and chewing.
Treatment takes just one visit because of CEREC technology. After removing enamel from the teeth at either end of the smile gap, your dentist takes a digital impression and X-rays. He uses the information to craft the prosthetic teeth (pontics) and the two crowns on either end of the appliance. These crowns protect the supporting natural teeth (abutment teeth).
After the CEREC apparatus fabricates the prosthetic, your dentist bonds the bridgework in place, adjusting its fit and bite. The doctor checks color, shape, and size so your completed smile looks natural.
Dental bridges require routine at-home and in-office hygiene just as natural teeth do. With good care, bridges last a decade and beyond.
Superior Beauty and Function
Dental crowns and bridges restore compromised smiles. Would you like to learn more? Then, why not contact Donald Marks Family Dentistry for a restorative dentistry consultation? You’ll explore your options and have an opportunity to ask questions about this great dental service.
