What Are Crowns?

A crown is a covering for your tooth that has been custom fit at the laboratory.  It will fit over your tooth much like a cap and crowns are commonly known as “caps.”  The purpose is to restore a tooth that has been damaged or stained.  The goal is to return the tooth to its original color, size, and shape.  The doctors at Fort Worth Dental make every effort to place a crown that blends in with the patient’s other natural teeth.

When Do I Need A Crown?

There can be a variety of reasons for placing a crown.  Those reasons can include the following:

• If the tooth has a large filling that is damaged by decay or that is weak and in danger of fracturing
• If the tooth has been cracked
• If the tooth is stained
• If the tooth has been broken or misshaped in some way
• If the tooth has been weakened by a root canal therapy
• What Is A Dental Bridge?

In some cases, the missing tooth is in the middle and must be restored by a “bridging” procedure.  In this situation, there would be a natural tooth on either side of the empty space.  These natural teeth would be used as anchors, or abutments, for the bridge.   The “bridge” is manufactured to join the two end crowns to the artificial replacement tooth in the middle of the “bridge.”

Bridges produce the following benefits:

• The patient can speak and eat confidently
• The teeth do not slowly drift away from their proper position
• The esthetics and function of the mouth is restored
• There is support for the lips and cheeks that are near the area of the missing tooth
• The forces of chewing are spread out evenly which protects your other natural teeth