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Annapolis Dental Crowns & Bridges

Bridging a One-Tooth Gap

When only one tooth is missing between two healthy teeth, you dentist may opt for a less involved procedure called a “Maryland Bridge,” which removes the need for putting crowns on the anchoring teeth. On a Maryland Bridge, the artificial tooth is attached to a strip of metal; the protruding ends of that metal strip and cemented to the backs of the neighboring anchor teeth. This is an excellent option but does come with the possibility of having to recement the bridge in the future, should the pressure of using the tooth pull the adhesive away from the back of an anchor tooth.
A Few Reasons for Getting a Crown
- Repairing an exceptionally large cavity
- Making worn or damaged teeth useful again
- Making a naturally malformed tooth look better

Dental Crowns

“Crown” is the more professional term for what you may have heard called a “cap.” Actually, neither word is perfect. A crown doesn’t just sit on top of another tooth, the way a checkers piece sits on another when crowning during a game.

A dental crown is a custom-made, hollow, artificial tooth that completely covers another tooth that cannot be repaired with a less involved method, like a filling (they are also the final step in a dental implant procedure).

How It Works?

It takes at least two office visits for a crown:

Your First Visit

After thoroughly numbing the area being worked on with anesthetic, the dentist will remove some of the tooth that is being repaired—getting rid of decay and/or broken pieces and shaping the tooth so that the crown will sit well over the tooth and in line with your other teeth.

Next, an impression of the to-be-crowned area is taken; an impression of your bite is taken also, to be sure that your crown will meet your lower teeth properly when biting. A number of very careful measurements are made, as well, to provide exacting specifications to the dental lab that will make your crown.

Crowns are most often made from medical-grade porcelain, but your dentist may discuss other material options with you.

Once the dentist is satisfied with your measurements and impressions, you’ll be fitted with a temporary crown that protects the treatment area and allows you the use of that portion of your teeth while you’re waiting for the dental lab to complete your permanent crown.
Your Second Visit

Once again, your dentist will numb the treatment area thoroughly. After that, your temporary crown is removed and the dentist places your permanent crown. Next comes the careful checking to be sure that the crown lines up properly with the other teeth in that row and with your bite. Your dentist may need to place and remove your crown several times, to make adjustments to it. When your crown is properly positioned, it will be cemented in place using dental grade adhesive. The procedure ends with the clean-up of any adhesive residue.

The last thing you’ll do in your second visit is get some pointers from a dental hygienist on life with your new crown: for instance, how to take care of it during your daily dental hygiene, how to protect it from damage, etc.

Featured Before & After:

Dental Crowns Results

Restore Your Smile Today

Dental Bridges

Bridges do exactly what their name implies: they connect to points that have a gap between them. Let’s say you have teeth A-B-C-D in a row. If Tooth B and Tooth C are missing, creating a bridge by securing artificial teeth (usually made from medical-grade porcelain) between Tooth A and Tooth D is a very effective and cost-effective solution for filling in that gap.

How Bridges Help?

Aside from the cosmetic benefit of filling in a gap, bridges provide a lot vital support:

Chewing Food

In order to do the job of chewing food, you need to have functioning teeth that work well together. Upper or lower teeth trying to chew against an empty space of gum tissue are at a big disadvantage.
Maintaining Face Shape

If you’ve seen images of entirely toothless people, you will have noticed how their mouths sink in. That is because there are no teeth in place to hold their lips in position. Gaps in your teeth can lessen support for your mouth in that area, which can affect the shape of your face.
Speaking Clearly

There’s a reason why some spoken sounds are called “dentals”—they require the ability of your tongue to work against your teeth. D, L, N, T, F, S, TH and even V sounds all depend on your teeth. Missing teeth can lead to poor diction.
Supporting Other Teeth

Teeth depend on one another in order to stand up straight and stay in place. A bridge shores up the teeth on either side of it, preventing those teeth from drifting and causing alignment problems for neighboring teeth.

How It Works?

Just as with the dental crowns we discussed above, a bridge requires at least two office visits.

Your First Visit

After the treatment area is thoroughly numbed with anesthetic, the teeth on either side of your gap will undergo a crowning procedure in which some enamel is removed in order to apply the eventual anchoring crowns that will hold your new artificial teeth in place. Once your dentist is satisfied with the shaping of the treatment area, impressions molds of the area are taken, along with precise measurements. This is to give the dental lab that is making your bridge exacting specifications that accurately represent the requirements of the treatment area. Once those specifications have been determined to the dentist’s satisfaction, a temporary bridge will be made for you on-the-spot. This is especially important for protecting the two teeth from which enamel has been removed.
Your Second Visit

After seeing to your comfort, your dentist will begin the process of placing and fitting your newly-manufactured bridge—placing it and adjusting it until satisfied with the way it sits. The next step is to fix it in place with dental adhesive; in some instances, the dentist may decide to use only a temporary adhesive, asking you to come back for an additional appointment to be sure the placement is correct.
When you get a dental crown or dental bridge in Annapolis at Aria Dental, you can depend on us to ensuring your comfort through every step of the procedure, provide the services of an excellent dental lab, performing an exacting procedure and make sure you understand what’s happening at every step.