Dental Crowns and Bridges

If you have one or more missing teeth, your dental professional may recommend that you get artificial replacements. There are removable options like dentures that you can take out and clean, but those can slide around, shift, or fall out – which understandably won’t fly for many people. And that’s why there are crowns affixed to dental implants and bridges which function more like your actual teeth. But between crown implants and bridges, which option is the best choice for you?

What’s the Difference Between Dental Crowns and Dental Bridges?
A dental crown can cap an individual’s damaged or decaying tooth or be placed on top of a dental implant to replace a missing tooth. Dental implants are metal fixtures, surgically fastened to your jawbone below the gums. These metal implants become anchored to your bone through osseointegration (the bone fuses to the metal). This process provides stable support you can rely on while eating and speaking. The healing process after getting an implant can take 6-12 weeks. Your dental professional will then place a metal post (or abutment) into your implant, onto which they will mount your crown.

Bridges, on the other hand, are solely used to replace missing teeth. They have two crowns – one on either end – and a bridge of replacement teeth that rest in the area of the gums where there is tooth loss. The crowns at the ends of a bridge can fuse to existing teeth (that need to be filed down by a dental professional to fit correctly), or your dental professional can attach them to dental implants.

Whichever of these replacement tooth options is best for you – they can be vital in maintaining your oral health. Gaps in areas of loss can cause your other teeth to begin rotating or shifting into empty spaces, resulting in a bad bite.

How do Crowns Work?
When a crown caps a damaged, weak, or decaying tooth, it’s generally to help maintain its size, strength, shape, and appearance. If you’re missing a tooth, a dental professional will give you a dental implant, on top of which they will place your crown. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry says that 3 million Americans have dental implants, and that number is growing by 500,000 every year.

Your crown will be made from one, or a mixture, of various materials. Gold alloy and other metal alloy options tend to be durable and cost-effective, but they won’t look much like your other teeth. Porcelain, acrylic, and ceramic crowns can more closely match your natural teeth. Acrylic and ceramic options are known to be durable. Porcelain is a bit more prone to chipping and damage, but porcelain bonded to a metal shell can increase its strength while maintaining its attractive tooth-like aesthetic.

Learn about the four different types of dental crowns.

How do Bridges Work?
Whereas crowns can repair damaged teeth, a bridge’s sole function is to replace one or more missing teeth. For a bridge, your dental professional will place caps on filed-down teeth or dental implants at the outer edges of your area of loss. Replacement teeth (called pontics) span the space between the caps where the teeth are missing.

Just like with dental crowns, you have a choice of materials available to you for your bridge. Your dental professional is in the best position to advise you in your material choice base on your individual needs. However, you’ll both want to consider and discuss multiple factors like the visibility of the tooth, the cost, the strength, and how it looks.