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At Kind Smiles Dental Health of Lakewood Ranch, Florida, patients in and around the community can enjoy a wide range of restorations available at a dentist “near me.” This includes service options such as dental crowns and dental bridges. These restorations are created using porcelain and are used to repair the smile or strengthen a weakened tooth. Dr. Allison Konick and her team can evaluate patients to determine what type of treatment they can benefit from and educate individuals on the pros and cons of each restoration.
Dr. Allison Konick finds that dental crowns are a popular restoration for patients because of their versatility. These restorations are created from porcelain, a material commonly used in dentistry due to its appearance and strength. Crowns are essentially “caps” customized for patients to match their existing teeth. They cover natural tooth structures to help after damage, infection, or even large cavities have occurred. The natural tooth is prepared by filing down a portion of the enamel before taking impressions to obtain a dental crown. The ceramist uses the impressions to create the final restoration bonded into place when complete.
To care for dental crowns, patients brush and floss as usual. Visiting the dentist every six months allows our team to evaluate the crown and natural tooth to ensure that the crowns are properly bonded in place and that the tooth underneath is not affected by disease or decay. With proper care, most patients will have their dental crowns for many years before they need to be removed and replaced. If patients experience breakage of their dental crowns, they may also need to visit the dentist to have them replaced as well.
Dental bridges work differently than dental crowns. In fact, dental crowns are used to make a dental bridge. Dr. Allison Konick describes the dental bridge as a restoration used in “bridging the gap” after tooth loss has occurred. This fixed restoration utilizes a crown on each end, fused to a false tooth or teeth called pontics. This creates the final restoration as a single piece. The adjacent teeth are prepared by removing a thin portion of enamel to allow bonding of the crowns. Dental bridges are an excellent solution for a patient who doesn’t want a removable partial denture but wants a less expensive, fixed alternative to a dental implant. Dental bridges will last several years with proper care, which includes flossing and brushing underneath the false teeth along the gumline to ensure no food particles become trapped in this area.
If you reside in the Lakewood Ranch, Florida community and are ready to learn more about the benefits of quality dental restorations such as dental crowns and bridges, contact our team today to speak to Dr. Allison Konick about your options. Her office is located at 11155 East State Road 70, and she can be reached by phone to request an appointment at (941) 253-5565.