Crowns & Fixed Bridges

Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are used to restore teeth that have experienced significant decay or structural damage. During the procedure, Dr. Jeannie Molato, DMD will completely reshape the enamel to accommodate the crown. An impression will be made and sent to the dental laboratory, where they will fabricate your final crown. Most crowns these days can be made using porcelain or zirconia. These materials are durable and offer the very best in esthetics.

Weak, decayed, or damaged teeth need help if you want to keep your natural tooth. At Laser Dental Bakersfield, we offer dental crowns to help make this a possibility. Preservation of your natural teeth is important not only for cosmetic appeal but also the overall health of your mouth. Our dentists are specialists in dental crowns, helping you keep your teeth, while still providing a stable surface for chewing, smiling, and talking.

What Are Dental Crowns?

A crown, as the name suggests, covers the top of your tooth. It replaces the portion of the tooth you can see when you look inside your mouth. It does not replace the roots or anything beneath the gumline. With the proper steps, a dental crown can look and feel like your natural tooth. Our dentists offer the highest quality dental crown services to help keep up the cosmetic appeal and the function of your natural teeth.

The Dental Crown Process

We can place a dental crown in two appointments, in most cases. During the first appointment, we prepare the tooth or teeth for the crown. This involves administering anesthetic and shaping the surface of the tooth to allow it to accept the crown. We will remove the damaged or decayed portion of the enamel and shape the tooth as necessary to provide a stable surface for the dental crown.

Once we prepare the area, we will take impressions to send to our lab. The lab uses these impressions to create a custom crown that fits the tooth perfectly. In addition to a perfect fit, the lab will ensure that the crown matches the color of your natural teeth to allow the crown to blend well within your mouth. After we complete the process, we will fit you with a temporary crown to give you the proper function of your mouth while we wait for the custom crown from the lab.

At your second appointment, we will fit the crown onto the tooth. Our dentists ensure a proper fit for comfort and aesthetic appeal. We work with you as a team to ensure that you love the look and feel of your new tooth’s surface. Once everyone is satisfied with the crown, we cement it into place over your tooth’s natural surface.

The Types Of Dental Crowns

We are proud to offer our patients a variety of options for dental crowns, allowing you to pick the material that suits your needs the most. Most commonly, our patients choose composite resin or ceramic for their cosmetically appealing appearance. Both materials can be made in a variety of shades to match the color of your other teeth.

If the dental crowns will go in the back of the mouth on your molars or bicuspids, we may recommend metal crowns, such as gold or silver as they offer a stronger surface that makes chewing easier. Because they have a sturdier surface, there is less of a risk of chipping or breaking the crown.

Bridgework

When a tooth is missing, Dr. Jeannie Molato, DMD may recommend a dental bridge. A bridge consists of two dental crowns that are linked together by a pontic or replacement tooth. Filling the space left by a missing tooth is very important. If tooth loss is left untreated, the adjacent teeth will begin to compensate for the space. Eventually, you may develop a misalignment with your teeth and bite. This can lead to complications with chewing, speaking, and cleaning your remaining teeth.

Missing teeth can be difficult and embarrassing. Even one missing tooth can make chewing difficult and can ruin your self-esteem.

At Laser Dental Bakersfield we are proud to offer quality dental bridges to help replace those missing teeth and help you restore full function of your mouth.

A bridge can help you restore the natural look of your mouth, which can help boost your self-confidence and your ability to talk and eat.

Your smile plays an important role in how you feel about yourself, and we are here to help you improve that smile with dental bridges.

What Are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges help ‘bridge the gap’ from a missing tooth. A bridge uses the two teeth on both sides of the gap, whether you are missing one or several teeth in a row. The bridge consists of a crown on both supporting teeth and a pontic, which is the false tooth.

We can also create a bridge with dental implants to replace the missing tooth, giving your mouth a natural appearance if you prefer the look and feel of the dental implants.

How Dental Bridges Work?

It takes two appointments to place a dental bridge in your mouth.

During the first appointment, we will shape the abutment teeth so that they can accept the dental crowns. During this process, we remove some of the enamel on the healthy teeth to make room for the crowns.

Once we prepare the area, we take impressions to have the pontic (false tooth) and crowns created. One type of impression is called a digital impression.

Our lab creates the crowns and pontic to look like your existing teeth to give your mouth a uniform appearance. While the lab creates your permanent bridge, we will fit you with a temporary bridge so that you have full function of your mouth.

At your next appointment, we will fit you with the permanent bridge. This step may require multiple appointments as we adjust the bridge for proper comfort and appearance.

Once you are comfortable with how it looks and feels, we cement the bridge in place, and you have a fully functioning mouth again.

Caring For Your Dental Bridge

Caring for the dental bridge is just as easy as caring for your natural teeth. Regular brushing and flossing habits are crucial to keep the bacteria, plaque, and tartar away. This will help prevent decay, as will keeping your regular dental checkups every six months.

While you do not have to follow a strict diet when you have a dental bridge, you should try to avoid excessively sticky or hard foods. Sticky foods can get stuck in small spaces, eating away at your enamel and ruining the integrity of the bridge over time.

Hard foods can cause your natural teeth, the crowns, or the pontic to crack, which would then require repair and replacement.

With proper care, your dental bridge should last up to 15 years. It should also make eating, talking, and smiling much easier since you no longer have to worry about showing off your loose or missing teeth.