How is a bridge different than a crown?

Crowns, bridges; it’s all the same and they’re all Greek to me.

Since these two dental treatments fall into the same general category, they often end up confused in patient’s minds. While the process of placing them and making them is similar the reasons for doing them are very different.

The basic difference between a crown and a bridge is that a crown’s purpose is to restore and protect a badly damaged tooth.

A bridge, on the other hand, is designed to replace missing teeth. Bridges rely on crowns as part of their structure which is one of the reasons they often get confused.

Here is how a bridge works. Teeth on either side of the missing tooth or teeth are trimmed for a crown. Impressions are taken, like for a crown, and then sent to a lab (in most cases) for the crowns to be made. Between the crowns are built false teeth to replace the missing ones.

This is then cemented on the teeth that were prepared for crowns. A relatively permanent solution for missing teeth.

Bridges are a good solution for missing teeth particularly if the teeth that are to hold the bridge need or could benefit from having the crowns done. If those same teeth are in great shape then a bridge is definitely inferior to implant placement, unless there is a problem interfering with that process.

Before implants bridges were the best solution for missing teeth when possible. Since implants most dentists will prefer an implant. But as I said, they still have a place in dentistry and can and often should be used to replace missing teeth.

To find out whether they might be the solution for you, call us at (708) 576-1900 to arrange for a free implant consultation or simply click the request an appointment button on the website.

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