While a crown by itself can only repair a tooth, a pair of crowns combined with one or more dental prosthetics can literally “bridge” a gap in your smile. Dental bridges use two of your remaining teeth as support and fill in the space between them with an artificial tooth called a pontic. Just like individual crowns, bridges can be made from a beautiful tooth-like ceramic that won’t draw unwanted attention. They normally last around 10 to 15 years.
You could potentially lose all or most of your teeth due to gum disease, extensive tooth decay, or a severe injury. If that happens, you can replace the entire arch at once with full dentures, which will be made to resemble your original teeth as closely as possible. Partial dentures can also be recommended if only some of your teeth are missing. Both types of dentures can be taken out of your mouth so that you can thoroughly clean them.
Missing teeth cause the jaw to break down, causing the muscles supporting your face to collapse. Traditional dental bridges and dentures won’t prevent this from happening; the only kind of restoration that can keep the jawbone healthy after tooth loss is a dental implant. Implants can be used to fill a gap of any size in your smile, and they can grant a crown, a dental bridge, or dentures additional strength while holding them firmly in place.
