Crowns & Bridges

General Dentistry, Family Dentists & Emergency Dentists in Puyallup, WA

Crowns & Bridges services offered in Puyallup, WA

With crowns and bridges, you don’t need to let missing or damaged teeth affect your oral health and appearance. At South Hill Family Dentistry in Puyallup, Washington, their team offers high-quality crowns and bridges. To learn more about how South Hill Family Dentistry can improve your smile with a crown or bridge, schedule a visit today by phone or online.

What is a crown?

A crown is a tooth-shaped cap your dentist seals on top of an existing tooth or dental implant. It extends down to your gumline, feeling and functioning just like a natural tooth.

Your dentist can use different materials for your crowns, such as cast gold, porcelain-fused to metal (PFM), all-porcelain, or zirconia.

Each of these materials has different advantages, and your South Hill Family Dentistry provider can work with you to determine which is best suited for your particular needs.

When do I need a crown?

Crowns serve several different functions, like:

Restoring a tooth that’s suffered physical damage or extensive decay
Replacing large fillings in a tooth
Improving the appearance of an unsightly tooth
Strengthening a tooth after a root canal
Supporting a bridge

When used in conjunction with a dental implant, a crown can replace an entire missing tooth. With its numerous applications, a crown can benefit your smile in many ways.

What is a bridge?

A bridge is a device that replaces a tooth that’s fully missing from your smile. A bridge consists of crowns and a pontic, which is an artificial tooth.

The pontic portion of the bridge sticks to either side of the crown, which your dentist attaches to the abutment teeth (the teeth that are adjacent to your missing tooth). Once in place, the pontic bridges the space between your abutment teeth, hence the name.

There are alternative bridges that your dentist might recommend if your abutment teeth aren’t suitable for crowns. A cantilever bridge, for example, only uses one crown to hold your pontic in place. In contrast, a Maryland bonded bridge accomplishes the task with a set of wires that your dentist seals to the backside of your abutment teeth.

An implant-supported bridge stays in place with dental implants, which are artificial tooth roots that your dentist surgically embeds in your jawbone.

Do crowns and bridges require special care?

One of the benefits of crowns and bridges is that they don’t require special care and can be maintained just like the rest of your natural teeth.

Be sure to brush your crown or bridge twice daily and floss the area around it daily. You should also make it a point to keep regular cleanings and checkups at South Hill Family Dentistry to ensure that your crown or bridge is in good condition.

Schedule an appointment by phone or online with South Hill Family Dentistry today and learn more about what a crown or bridge can do for your smile.