Dental Bridges Cost Less Than You May Think

Sometimes, even as hard as our patients try to follow the best dental hygiene practices, a tooth may become decayed, damaged, or fall out. Should this happen, you need a reliable dental restoration to re-establish your tooth’s function and renew your smile. Thankfully, Dr. Yvonne Szyperski of North Bay Smiles provides the finest dental bridge service in Petaluma, California residents can ask for.

First, Let’s Talk About Crowns

Before we cover dental bridges, let’s discuss an essential part of any bridge: the dental crown. Dental crowns are the caps that fit over teeth impacted by severe decay, cracks, erosion, and breakage. They are often placed after a root canal and protect your natural teeth from further decay and stress from everyday use. As a result, the tooth is restored to good health, saving it from possible future extraction.

We also provide a variety of dental crown types that best suit your unique dental restoration needs. For most of our patients, a zirconia or porcelain crown is ideal because both can help restore the appearance and health of your tooth. Both restorations are safe and strong materials that perfectly mimic the look of your natural teeth. Save for additional factors that can wear down a crown too quickly, such as night-time teeth grinding, pure zirconia, or porcelain crowns can certainly serve most dental needs.

In certain situations, zirconia and porcelain crowns might not be the best solutions to serve your dental restorative needs. Under such circumstances, Dr. Szyperski offers porcelain fused to metal crowns (PFM). These crowns are beneficial for patients who have undergone a root canal. The metal covers the tooth’s dark color as the overlaying porcelain mimics the sheen, color, and function of your natural teeth.

Dr. Szyperski will carefully examine your teeth and recommend the best option to meet your goals.

Dental Bridges

When one or more teeth are lost, either to decay or physical damage, they can be replaced using a fixed dental bridge.

These bridges are made using one or more porcelain or zirconia crowns that fill gaps between your natural teeth. These crowns can be supported in one of two ways. A traditional bridge uses anchoring crowns, also called “abutments,” which are placed onto the healthy teeth on either side of the gap. These abutments will support the pontic, or bridge used to replace the missing teeth.

Then there are bridges supported by dental implants anchored into place using dental posts that are screwed directly into the jawbone. One benefit to this restoration is that it doesn’t require filing down the neighboring teeth on each side of the gap. Implants are best for restoring two or more missing teeth in a row.

But, we should mention that dental bridges may not be the best option for everyone. In some cases where there are missing teeth throughout a person’s smile, Dr. Szyperski might recommend a partial denture to resolve the issue.

Learn More About How Dental Bridges Can Help Renew Your Smile

To find out if dental bridges are the correct restoration for your needs, call North Bay Smiles at (707) 306-8001 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Szyperski. Our office is at 1580 E. Washington St., Suite 101, Petaluma, CA.