Dr. A of Dental Arts Group in Philadelphia is committed to providing his patients with the best in restorative dentistry. Thanks to continued advances in the materials used in dental work, patients can now repair their smiles in ways that are both beautiful and long lasting. Many restorative treatments are done with the use of porcelain. Porcelain is a strong material that resembles natural tooth enamel, making it the preferred material for veneers, crowns, and bridges.
Many Philadelphia area residents who seek dental treatment to restore their smiles may be educated on the benefits of crowns and bridges. Both are common restorations used to correct imperfections and replace missing teeth.
Crowns
Dental crowns are porcelain restorations that are bonded over the top of natural teeth for many reasons. Some patients use crowns as an alternative to veneers to cover imperfections such as breakage or staining. Others use them to restore a dental implant, which needs a functional restoration on top to act as a false tooth. Crowns may also be placed after root canal therapy, which can leave the structure weak and brittle. Crowns provide protection to maintain the natural tooth underneath for as long as possible. Made from porcelain, crowns are just as beautiful as the natural teeth and provide unsurpassed strength.
Bridges
When natural teeth are missing, large spaces are left in the smile. Patients are encouraged to speak to a dental professional about replacing these teeth as soon as possible to avoid misalignment of the existing teeth and to restore the biting, chewing, and speaking efficiency. Bridges are made of crowns and false teeth that are fused together into one long restoration. The bridge uses the adjacent teeth for support, the crowns are bonded over the natural teeth, and the false tooth falls in place in-between to restore the dental arch.
Both bridges and crowns are made of porcelain, and Dr. A works with a quality ceramist to fabricate beautiful, precise restorations for repairing the smile. He ensures the new restorations match in color and shape to seamlessly integrate into the dental arch and look as beautiful as possible.