What is a dental crown?
Also called caps, dental crowns are tooth-shaped covers dentist place over a damaged or decayed tooth. Crowns can help when a filling can’t strengthen or fill enough of your tooth to make it viable. When used to cover misshapen or badly discolored teeth, dental crowns also help improve your appearance. Crowns made of all metal or porcelain fused to metal are strong and are a good choice for back teeth.
Crowns made of all ceramic and those made of porcelain fused to metal look like your regular teeth, making them a better choice for your front teeth.
What is a dental bridge (fixed partial denture)?
A dental bridge is a device dentists use when you’re missing one or more teeth.
Bridges help eliminate rotation and shifting of the teeth surrounding your gap.
When you have missing teeth, the chances of having gum disease and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders may also increase. Bridges reduce that risk, too.