Restore Your Smile With Dental Crowns in Washington Heights NYC
Do damaged teeth make it painful for you to eat? Do you wish you could smile with confidence, without worrying about broken or worn down teeth? Dental crowns are a reliable and effective way to rebuild damaged and weakened teeth with strong, durable ceramic.
A dental crown is a permanent tooth cap or cover that completely surrounds a tooth to restore its natural shape, size, and function. At Fort Washington Dental Associates, we always want you to feel confident making informed decisions about your oral healthcare, including crowns and bridges.
Here are a few things you should know about getting bridges and dental crowns in Washington Heights, including the various types available and how they can enhance your smile and oral health.
What Can Dental Crowns Do for Your Smile?
The Role of Dental Crowns in Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry
A dental crown is a protective shell that covers a damaged or decayed tooth. It restores the tooth’s appearance and strengthens its structure, allowing it to function correctly. Restoration dentists frequently recommend dental crowns to complete a dental implant, protect weakened teeth, restore teeth after root canal treatment, and support dental bridges.
Crowns are also a critical part of many cosmetic dentistry and full mouth rehabilitation plans because they allow us to create teeth with an ideal shape, shade, and proportions. Since they completely cover the tooth, they typically last longer and are more durable than porcelain veneers.
The Importance of a Proper Fit and Natural Aesthetics
Dental crowns can improve your oral health and even prevent you from losing weakened or severely damaged teeth. Replacing missing teeth with bridges prevents damage to your remaining natural teeth while restoring function to your bite and the appearance of your smile.
However, it’s essential that you choose a dentist who uses the most advanced imaging and design techniques to create each crown and bridge to fit your teeth and gum line precisely.
Poorly fitted restorations can actually do more damage to your teeth, create imbalance in your bite, and irritate your gums. At Fort Washington Dental Associates, we’re committed to creating each restoration to provide lasting health, stability, and comfort.
Well-made crowns and bridges will blend seamlessly with your natural teeth. Our skilled dentists design each crown with consideration for your smile shape, gum line, facial features, and skin tone, and natural tooth shade to make it look as natural as possible, indistinguishable from the adjacent teeth.
We offer a range of materials, such as metal, ceramic, and porcelain, to meet both durability and aesthetic preferences. Next, let’s look at each of these options and the pros and cons of each.
Types of Dental Crowns
Now that you understand why your dentist may recommend a dental crown and why it’s important to get crowns customized to your unique needs and smile aesthetics, let’s look at a few of the different types of crowns.
Ceramic Crowns
All-ceramic crowns are a durable option with superior aesthetics to most other options. They are highly resistant to staining and offer exceptional strength, depending on what type of ceramic or porcelain they are made from. These options make them a versatile solution for both front and back teeth.
Unlike other options, all-ceramic crowns do not have a metal base, which means you won’t need to worry about a dark line along your gums. They’re also less likely to chip than other types of crowns.
Our ceramic crowns are custom-made to ensure they blend harmoniously with your natural teeth, enhancing your smile while providing long-lasting functionality. With their ability to mimic the shine and transparency of natural tooth enamel, full ceramic crowns offer a beautiful and functional restoration option.
Porcelain Fused to Metal Crowns
Porcelain fused to metal (or PFM) crowns are a great option for many situations, especially for molars (back teeth), which need to stand up to heavy biting and chewing forces. PFM crowns are frequently recommended for their superior strength and affordability.
PFM crowns combine the strength of metal with the aesthetic appeal of porcelain. They have a metal substructure for durability, which is covered with a porcelain layer to achieve a natural appearance.
Before modern all-ceramic crowns became widely available and affordable, PFM crowns were the ideal option for natural-looking crowns. Porcelain crowns resemble the appearance of natural teeth, and can be carefully designed to match the color, shape, and size of your natural teeth. However, they do not have the same translucency as all-ceramic crowns, which have more natural aesthetics.
Metal Crowns
Metal crowns, including gold or silver alloy crowns, are renowned for their strength and durability. They are an excellent option for molars and teeth that require substantial support. While metal crowns may not match the natural color of your teeth, they offer exceptional longevity and functionality. Metal crowns are ideal for patients prioritizing durability and strength in their dental restorations.
Dental Bridges: Filling the Gaps and Restoring Your Smile
The Purpose of Dental Bridges
In cases of one or more missing teeth, a dental bridge is an excellent solution to fill the gaps and restore the integrity of your smile. A dental bridge consists of a series of dental crowns attached to one another. The restoration is permanently cemented in place, ensuring stability and functionality.
How Do Dental Bridges Work?
Types of Dental Bridges
At Fort Washington Dental Associates, we offer various options for dental bridges, including:
- Traditional Bridge: This type of bridge involves one or multiple false teeth supported by crowns on each side. It is a trusted and time-tested option for replacing missing teeth and restoring the function and aesthetics of your smile.
- Cantilever Bridge: A cantilever bridge utilizes a dental crown attached to one or two false teeth. This type of bridge is suitable when only support is available on one side of the gap. Our skilled dentists will assess your needs to determine if a cantilever bridge is the right solution.
- Maryland Bonded Bridge: This bridge involves a false tooth supported by a metal framework and resin cement, primarily used for front teeth. Maryland bonded bridges offer an aesthetic solution for replacing missing teeth while preserving the natural tooth structure.
- Implant-Supported Bridge: An implant-supported bridge utilizes two implant crowns on either side of one or more false teeth. This type of bridge offers excellent stability, functionality, and long-term durability. Dental implants provide a secure foundation for the bridge, mimicking the natural tooth roots.
Trust Your Smile to Our Expert Team for Dental Crowns and Bridges in Washington Heights!
Dental crowns and bridges are essential for restoring tooth functionality, enhancing aesthetics, and improving oral health. At Fort Washington Dental Associates, our experienced dentists provide a range of crown options, including ceramic, porcelain, metal, and PFM crowns in Washington Heights, tailored to your unique needs.
We also offer various dental bridges, ensuring we have the right solution for replacing missing teeth and restoring your beautiful smile. Schedule a consultation today, and let us restore your smile, confidence, and oral well-being with our exceptional dental crown and bridge services.
