Restoring your Smile with Cosmetic Dentistry!

Midtown West Restoring your Smile | Manhattan Cosmetic Dentistry

If you're looking to restore your smile, re-align your bite, or even prevent remaining teeth from moving, a dental bridge may be the perfect solution. Bridges are natural-looking dental appliances that fill the gap created by one or more missing teeth. Bridges are barely noticeable and can restore the natural contour of teeth as well as the proper bite relationship between upper and lower teeth.

Bridges are made of porcelain, gold alloys or combinations of materials and consist of Abutment teeth and Pontic teeth. Abutment teeth are the anchors that hold the false teeth/tooth in place, and are molded and then bonded to fit the existing teeth on either side of the gap. The Pontic teeth fit in the gap and are then cemented in place.

There are several types of fixed dental bridges, with the traditional bridge (explained above) being the most common.

Bridges, with proper oral hygiene and regular Midtown West dentist checkups, can last fifteen years or longer.

Crowns are synthetic caps, usually made of a material like porcelain or stainless steel, placed on the top of a tooth to restore its function and appearance.

Crowns can be used for a myriad of problems including but not limited to:
Covering a misshapen tooth, protecting a weak tooth from breaking or cracking or covering a tooth with a filling. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use, and are applied when a discolored or stained tooth needs to be restored to its natural appearance.

A tooth must usually be reduced in size to accommodate a crown. The amount that the tooth is filed down depends on the type of crown and the decay, if any, involved in the original tooth. An impression is then made from the existing tooth and is sent to a lab, which manufactures a custom-designed crown. In some cases, a temporary crown is applied until the permanent crown is ready. Permanent crowns are cemented in place.

Crowns, with proper care, can last from five to fifteen years depending on the amount of wear and tear they experience. Certain habits such as jaw clenching or bruxism (teeth grinding) significantly shorten the life of a crown. It is very important to floss in the area of the crown to avoid excess plaque or collection of debris around the restoration. Moreover, eating brittle foods, ice or hard candy can compromise the adhesion of the crown, or even damage the crown.

Please contact our Upper East Side Dentist with any questions or to schedule an appointment.