Crowns and Bridges

A dental crown is a cap that fits over a damaged tooth. Crowns strengthen teeth, allowing you to use them as you would normally.

They completely cover the damaged part of your tooth and are designed to look natural while blending in with your natural teeth. Dr. Johnson recommends crowns to repair teeth that:

• Are fractured or in danger of fracturing
• Underwent a root canal
• Have fillings and other restorations that need replacing
• Are damaged or discolored

Replacing just one damaged tooth greatly improves your ability to speak and chew normally. With proper care, dental crowns last for decades.

As an experienced cosmetic dentist, Dr. Johnson installs crowns that both look great and function well.

Crowns require two appointments at Northwest Dental Center. At the first appointment, Dr. Johnson carefully shapes your tooth so it can fit the crown. He then takes impressions and sends them to a dental lab to create a dental crown that perfectly fits into your mouth. You can expect to wait about two weeks for your permanent crown to be ready. While you wait, you wear a temporary crown, which protects your tooth.

At the second appointment, Dr. Johnson removes the temporary crown and bonds the permanent crown to your tooth with dental cement.

As the name suggests, a dental bridge “bridges” the gap left by a missing tooth. It includes an artificial tooth and a metal appliance that uses the surrounding teeth for support. If you have multiple missing teeth next to each other, Dr. Johnson can install crowns and use the crowns to support a bridge.

Dental bridges are a long-term solution for missing teeth. With proper care, including good dental hygiene, bridges last 10 years or longer.

Before placing your bridge, Dr. Johnson needs to prepare the supporting teeth. This may include installing crowns on either side of the missing tooth.

If the bridge uses your natural teeth, Dr. Johnson removes some of the enamel to fit the bridge after numbing the area with local anesthetic.

After preparing the surrounding teeth, Dr. Johnson takes impressions, which a dental lab uses to construct your bridge. While you wait, you wear a temporary bridge to protect the area.

At the next appointment, Dr. Johnson bonds the permanent bridge to your teeth. He may adjust the bridge at a follow-up appointment a few weeks later to ensure it fits into your mouth.

Don’t let a gap in your smile get you down. Schedule an appointment at Northwest Dental Center online or over the phone today.