What Is the Durability of Dental Crowns and Bridges?

When matters related to restorative dentistry are concerned dental crowns and bridges, help fix damaged or even lost teeth. Dental crowns preserve the existing tooth structure in your mouth damaged by decay or trauma. A dental bridge functions as a replacement solution for missing teeth and helps prevent the consequences of tooth loss that occur when the surrounding teeth begin shifting to fill the space in your smile.

If you are receiving dental crowns or Bridges for the first time, you might have questions about the durability of these restorations. This article looks at the durability of these restorations to help you make an informed decision if you need crowns and bridges to fix damaged teeth or close gaps in your smile.

The Durability of Dental Crowns and Bridges

Dental Crowns

A dental crown near you lasts for a decade or more, depending on the material chosen and your oral hygiene practices for maintaining your damaged tooth. However, maintaining excellent dental hygiene at home and visiting your dentist for six-monthly dental checkups can extend the life of a dental crown by up to 15 years.

Dental Bridges

Dental crowns help create dental bridges with a Pontic between them and two crowns on either side of the Pontic that fit the neighboring teeth next to the missing tooth gap as abutments or anchoring teeth. Dental bridges also have a similar lifespan and remain in your mouth for approximately 15 years with proper dental hygiene and care.

Crowns and bridges are both durable solutions that help restore the functionality of your mouth and smile by helping fix damaged or missing teeth to ensure you don’t become a victim of additional problems and are recommended by the dental office in Auburn to fix the issues confronting you.

How to Make It Last Longer?

If you want to make dental crowns and bridges in Auburn, AL, last longer must incorporate excellent oral hygiene practices at home visits to your dentist for exams and cleanings. However, there are steps you can take to extend the lifespan of dental crowns, as mentioned below:

• You must avoid grinding or clenching your teeth because the habit can cause chips and cracks in your crown. If you suspect that you grind and clench when sleeping, discuss the problem with your dentist and request a custom-fitted nightguard to protect your crowns.
• You must brush your crowns at least twice per day and floss them at least once. When brushing, ensure that you clean well around the area where the crown meets your gums. Remember, the underlying tooth beneath the crown is natural and susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease. Excellent brushing techniques help you to prevent corrosion around and beneath the crown.
• You must give up detrimental mouth-related habits like biting fingernails, chewing on ice, and other complex objects.
• Scheduling regular appointments with your dentist are essential to look for signs of decay or gaps around the crown.

Dental bridges also need similar attention with minor differences. For example, when you brush and floss your teeth to ensure that you floss beneath the Pontic, the false tooth fitting between two dental crowns, you must invest in a floss threader to clean beneath the dental bridge. If you fail to floss appropriately, you leave bacteria and debris around the dental bridge to fall prey to tooth decay and gum disease.

Can Crowns and Bridges Loosen?

Crowns and bridges are undoubtedly durable but do not have indestructible features. If you develop chips or cracks in a crown, you must strive to have them replaced at the earliest. Allowing a damaged crown to remain on your tooth increases the risk of tooth decay forming on the underlying tooth. Unfortunately, if you fail to notice tooth decay beneath the crown, the infection inside the tooth will require fearsome root canal therapy. Similar risks are present you have dental crowns holding a bridge in place.

If your crown or bridge falls out, the best option for you is to contact Dr. Mark Summerford and schedule an appointment to fix your restoration. Meanwhile, you can use a dab of denture cream to keep your dental prosthetic in place. When you pay proper attention to your dental crown and bridge, they complement your smile, letting you have it longer than you believe.

Should you need help getting new dental crowns and bridges or to manage existing restorations, pleased do not hesitate to contact Central Park Dental Care for the attention you need.