Dental Crowns & Bridges in Issaquah
Restorative Dentistry
Whether teeth are damaged or lost due to an accident, disease, or improper dental care, the results can be frustrating. Lost or broken teeth can be embarrassing for aesthetic reasons, but they can also make it difficult to chew food or speak normally. Fortunately, most patients can have their smiles restored with the help of dental crowns and bridges.
The key to making great crowns for teeth and bridges is making them look natural. Issaquah dentist, Dr. Jorgensen knows what it takes to make a great crown. His goal: make it unnoticeable! He explains, “It should blend with the other teeth. It doesn’t look like a veneer, and it doesn’t look like a crown. It just looks like a natural tooth.” The same can be said for making a bridge for a missing tooth.
Restore Your Smile at Remarkable Smiles in Issaquah
For two decades, Dr. Jorgensen has been providing the finest quality bridges and crowns for his Issaquah patients, using the finest materials available today. At Remarkable Smiles of Issaquah, he achieves superior aesthetics by using all porcelain crowns and by using the finest materials for all aspects of tooth restoration. He works with a local lab where he can count on receiving the highest quality of materials, not commonly used overseas labs which typically have different product standards.
What Is a Dental Crown?
A crown (sometimes referred to as a cap) is essentially a prosthetic tooth designed to fit over a single damaged or weakened tooth for structural or cosmetic purposes. A crown may be used to support a cracked tooth, to correct a misshapen tooth, or to cover a broken or badly worn tooth.
What Are Dental Bridges?
Dental bridges are multi-tooth prosthetics designed to replace one or more missing teeth. The two teeth at either end of a bridge are technically crowns, which fit over existing teeth to anchor the bridge teeth (called “pontics”) to anchor the bridge in place. A bridge can usually be used to replace one or two adjacent missing teeth, while a significant number of missing teeth may require something like a dental implant.
Temporary vs. Permanent
Both types of dental prosthetics can be temporary or permanent. Patients typically receive a temporary crown or bridge while they are waiting for their permanent prosthetic to be completed (usually only a few weeks). A permanent crown or bridge, on the other hand, is designed for long-term use. When the permanent piece is ready, it will be cemented into place using strong dental adhesives and will usually last for 5-15 years.¹
How Custom Dental Crowns and Bridges Are Made
First, a dentist takes an impression of the tooth (or teeth) to be crowned or bridged using a specialized material that creates a detailed imprint. This impression is then sent to a manufacturer to create the permanent custom-fit piece. Because bridge pontics can’t be cast from an impression, these are fabricated to resemble the missing teeth.
Prosthetics can be made from a variety of materials. Porcelain bridges, metal bridges, porcelain crowns, gold crowns, metal crowns, ceramic crowns and even invisible crowns (made from transparent material) can be manufactured to achieve the desired result.
What to Expect When Getting a Tooth Crown or Bridge
If your dentist recommends a crown or bridge, he or she will review the process with you, answer any initial questions and help you set up the necessary appointments. Your dentist will also go over any special care you’ll need to take before your impressions, while you wear your temporary prosthetic, and after you receive your permanent bridge or crown. Other than any existing tooth pain you may have, the process of having a dental crown or bridge fitted is totally painless.
Bridges and Crowns vs. Dental Implants
Some patients choose to go the route of dental implants, a more permanent solution that requires oral surgery and periods of healing. Compared with dental implants, however, bridges and crowns can be completed much more quickly, often at a fraction of the price. Because Dr. Jorgensen is passionate about creating a beautiful, natural smile for every patient, a crown or bridge from Remarkable Smiles will give you the attractive, functional teeth you want with a much faster turnaround than dental implants.
Benefits of bridges as opposed to dental implants:
- Faster
- More immediate results
- Sometimes less costly
