Crowns and Bridges

Damaged, decayed, and missing teeth threaten oral health, function, and appearance. Mehrnoosh Darj, DDS, and the team at Affordable Dental Associates in El Paso and Socorro, Texas, understand the importance of maintaining healthy, attractive teeth. At their offices, the team offers custom-made crowns and bridges to repair damage and restore your smile. Call the nearest office today or schedule an appointment online to learn more.

What are crowns and bridges?

Crowns and bridges repair damaged, decayed, or missing teeth. These restorations fit over your teeth to rebuild their shape, size, and color. While crowns and bridges are similar, they serve different functions:

Crowns

Crowns are caps shaped like teeth. A crown fits over the visible part of a broken or decayed tooth to restore its appearance and function. Crowns can protect vulnerable teeth or connect to bridges or dental implants to replace missing teeth.

Bridges

Bridges are fixed dental appliances that restore missing teeth. While there are many different types of bridges, the most common type is a traditional bridge. This restoration consists of two crowns with a prosthetic tooth in the middle. The crowns fit over your abutments (supporting teeth) to stabilize the bridge.

Why might I need crowns and bridges?

If you have severely fractured, decayed, or missing teeth, the team at Affordable Dental Associates may recommend crowns and bridges. A crown can address many cosmetic and functional concerns, such as:

• Misshapen teeth
• Cracked or broken teeth
• Severely decayed teeth
• Teeth worn down by bruxism (teeth grinding)
• Discolored teeth
• Overly short or long teeth

Crowns also protect teeth treated with root canals. A root canal is a tooth-saving treatment that removes the infected or inflamed pulp from the center of the tooth. This treatment can weaken your tooth, increasing its risk of cracks. The team may cover your tooth with a crown to prevent reinfection.

What do placing crowns and bridges involve?

Whether you need crowns, bridges, or both, you can expect at least two visits to Affordable Dental Associates. The first visit usually involves a dental exam and teeth cleaning, complete with digital X-rays. Next, the team prepares your teeth for crowns and bridges by reducing their size. 

After preparing your teeth, the team takes digital impressions, eliminating the need for messy, goopy molds. An outside lab uses these impressions to create custom-made crowns and bridges. While you wait, the team places temporary restorations to protect your teeth. After 2-3 weeks, they replace your temporary prosthetics with permanent crowns and bridges.

Call Affordable Dental Associates today or schedule an appointment online to learn more about crowns and bridges.