When teeth are damaged or lost due to gum disease, tooth decay, or oral injury, you will want to replace them to preserve the appearance and function of your bite and facial profile. Lost teeth allow teeth to shift and our face to appear to sink. To prevent this, we offer dental crowns, dental bridges, and dental implants.
#1 Crowns not only cover a damaged tooth but strengthen it as well. Crowns also improve the shape, alignment, and appearance of the tooth. Crowns are also used to cap a dental implant, returning the function of a lost tooth. Crowns are fixed prosthetic devices which your dentist cements over a dental implant or tooth, which means that unlike dentures, they can only be removed by your dentist.
#2 Bridges bridge the space which is left behind after a tooth or teeth are lost. Like crowns, they are fixed prosthetic devices, and are supported either by neighboring teeth or dental implants. The teeth used to anchor the bridge are called abutments, and the false tooth fitted over the abutment is referred to as a pontic.
#3 Implants are made of titanium and behave as a tooth root. They are attached into the jawbone beneath the gum line surgically. Implants serve as anchors as your dentist attaches a tooth replacement or bridge in the space left behind from missing teeth. Unlike dentures, implants don’t slip and unlike bridges, they don’t need to be anchored to the neighboring teeth.
To find out more about these restoration options, we invite you to schedule an appointment with our dentist, Dr. Tina Foss. Please call 972-686-6477 at North Mesquite Dental in Mesquite, Texas today.
