Crowns & Bridges

Crowns & Bridges services offered in Tampa, FL

A decayed tooth, a cracked tooth, or a missing tooth can make it difficult to talk or chew without discomfort. Margaret Mauricio, DDS, Karim Revoredo, DDS, and the Smiles Tampa team often recommend custom-made crowns and bridges to cover natural teeth, fill in missing teeth, and restore your mouth to optimal health. The highly skilled team offers several different types of crowns and bridges to correct common dental problems for adults. If you suspect you need a crown or bridge, call the office in Tampa, Florida, or request an appointment online today.

Crowns & Bridges Q & A

What are crowns?

A porcelain or ceramic crown or “cap” fits over a weak or decayed tooth. A crown is custom-made to match the surrounding color and shape of the adjacent teeth. Crowns help to:

Maintain a broken or fractured tooth
Restore and add strength to a tooth that has a very large cavity
Improve the aesthetic appearance of your teeth
Provide added support for a tooth after a root canal
Cover a dental implant
Attach a bridge

Smiles Tampa uses all-ceramic or all-porcelain crowns because they look the most like your natural teeth. Porcelain crowns can be created in various shades of white and different opacities so they match your teeth perfectly. As an added bonus, you can’t get a cavity in a crown, and they won’t yellow or stain.

What are bridges?

A dental bridge is a false tooth that fills a gap where you have a missing tooth or several missing teeth. Your Smiles Tampa provider creates dental bridges for children and adults that attach to the surrounding natural teeth or to dental implants. The false tooth, or pontic, gets fused between your natural teeth so you’re able to chew and talk normally.

The space from missing teeth can cause the adjacent teeth to shift out of place or become an area of gum disease and decay. Dental bridges protect your teeth from moving, help maintain the natural shape of your face, and help improve your overall oral health.

The three most common types of bridges are:

Traditional fixed bridge, which uses porcelain crowns on either side of the missing tooth to anchor the false tooth in place
Cantilever bridge, which uses teeth on just one side of the missing tooth as support
Resin-bonded bridge, or Maryland bridge, which uses a metal framework to attach the pontic to surrounding teeth

Your Smiles Tampa provider recommends the type of bridge that is best for your individual dental issues so you get optimum results.

How long does it take to get crowns and bridges?

Typically, crowns and bridges require a minimum of two dental visits. The team at Smiles Tampa makes impressions of your teeth during your first visit and prepares your teeth for the crown, bridge, or both. You may receive a temporary crown or bridge while the permanent ones are being constructed.

At your second visit, your provider installs the permanent crowns and bridges by cementing them into place. You may need to come back again to ensure the new teeth fit perfectly and you’re comfortable chewing and talking with them.

Crowns and bridges are ideal solutions for patients who have missing teeth and wish to maintain oral health as well as improve the aesthetics of their smile.

Call Smiles Tampa to schedule an appointment or request one online today.