Restore Your Smile with a Dental Crown or Bridge

At Starbody Dental, we place a strong emphasis on preventative dental care aimed at optimizing oral health to preserve natural teeth. Unfortunately, teeth can still become compromised or lost for several reasons. We understand that an incomplete smile can diminish your quality of life and confidence.

Whether your teeth have degenerated due to age, injury, decay, or illness, modern dentistry offers a variety of restorative treatments designed to help restore, protect, and replace natural teeth. Two of the most common restorative treatments include dental crowns and dental bridges, and they are often used in tandem to restore smiles to their complete form, function, and beauty.  

What Is a Dental Crown?

Also called a cap, a dental crown is a hollow, tooth-shaped, prosthetic dental restoration. Usually made of porcelain or zirconia dental crowns are designed to completely cover ("cap") the portion of a tooth that is exposed above the gum line. Dr. Starbody likes to compare them to "tooth-colored iPhone cases."

How Dental Crowns Are Used

Dental crowns offer many treatment applications. They can be used cosmetically to improve or enhance a smile's appearance, but they are more commonly used restoratively to repair severely damaged teeth, returning their form and function while protecting a patient's oral health.  

Dental crowns can be used in the following ways:

• To protect a tooth after a root canal procedure

• To protect a tooth with significant decay or a large cavity

• To strengthen and protect a tooth from infection after a severe chip or fracture

• To cap a dental implant and replace a missing tooth

• To anchor a dental bridge

Dental crowns have several different treatment applications. They can be used cosmetically to create a more aesthetically pleasing smile. More often, however, they are used restoratively to restore a tooth's form and function and preserve a patient's oral health.

What Is a Dental Bridge?

A dental bridge is also a prosthetic dental restoration. A bridge consists of one or two anchors located on its ends and a pontic ("bridge") of artificial teeth that span the space between.

How Dental Bridges Are Used

Used to replace one or more consecutive missing teeth, dental bridges also offer both cosmetic and restorative benefits. A dental bridge is anchored to either neighboring natural teeth or dental implants and fills in the gap of missing teeth in between.

Dental Bridge Treatment Options: Types of Dental Bridges

• Traditional - Anchored to natural teeth with dental crowns

• Implant-Supported - Anchored to dental implants

• Maryland Bonded - Anchored using a system of wires and composite resin bonding

• Cantilever – A “floating” tooth anchored to a single tooth

Is a Dental Crown or Bridge the Right Treatment Option for You?

The restorative treatment that's right for you depends on your oral health, treatment needs, and goals. Patients who are missing multiple consecutive teeth can benefit from a dental bridge while patients who have a compromised tooth that can be saved can benefit from dental crowns.  

Our dentists can work with you to determine the restorative treatment plan that will best meet your needs.  

Complete Dental Restoration with Our Murfreesboro, TN Dentists

At Starbody Dental, we offer our patients a wide array of treatment options for restoring their smiles. We pair extensive experience and an artful eye with a full complement of restorative and cosmetic services, including dental crowns, dental bridges, dental implants, dentures, and more.  

If you're missing teeth or have a severely compromised tooth, we encourage you to contact our office to request a consultation with one of our dentists. We can work with you to determine the best restorative treatment plan to meet your needs and achieve your smile goals. To learn more, contact Starbody Dental today.