Dental Crowns and Bridges in Hanover, MA

What Are Dental Crowns and Bridges?

Dental crowns are caps that fit over prepared natural teeth. They can cover and protect broken, decayed, or stained teeth. They can preserve teeth from extraction, as when employed after a root canal. Crowns provide a seamless, natural look and feel. Eating, speaking, and showing your smile are easy with a new dental crown.

Same-Day Crowns

Our practice offers same-day dental crowns using the CEREC system. Same-day crowns provide complete tooth restoration in just one appointment. The crowns from the CEREC machine are equal quality to crowns from a dental lab.

The CEREC Crown Process

Dentists design and make CEREC crowns in the office with advanced equipment. Rather than using messy impression trays, the dentist will employ a small, handheld camera to scan the hard and soft tissues in your mouth. They will create a precise 3-D model of your teeth and gums. Using this model, they will design the crown to match your existing teeth.

The CEREC machine takes a short time to produce your final restoration, with no need for a temporary crown and a second appointment.

Dental Bridges

A dental bridge replaces a missing or extracted tooth. A bridge consists of two anchor points (crowns or implants) and artificial teeth called pontics.

Four main types of bridges are available today:

Crown-Supported Bridges: Standard bridges receive support from a crown on either side of the gap in your teeth. These bridges are practical and affordable. However, the stress that the crowns put on your teeth could damage adjacent teeth.

Implant-Supported Bridges: In place of crowns, these bridges use implants to anchor the pontics. Implant-supported bridges are sturdier than traditional bridges.

Cantilever Bridges: A cantilever bridge connects to a supporting tooth on only one side. This type of bridge puts stress on its adjacent tooth.

Maryland Bridges: Rather than connecting to crowns or implants, Maryland bridges use metal wings.

Your dentist will help you determine which bridge type works best in your situation.

Helping Your Jawbone Stay Healthy

When you preserve a natural tooth from extraction with a crown, your jawbone continues to receive stimulation from chewing. Loss of stimulation could lead to jawbone deterioration.

Protecting Root Canals

Crowns can protect teeth that received root canal treatment.

Restore Chewing Function

After installation, crowns and bridges feel just like natural teeth. You will be able to chew on them normally. It would help if you took care to avoid very sticky food to keep the crown or bridge from falling out. If it does fall out, we can reseat it.

Attractive Appearance

Crowns and bridges look like natural teeth, and you will feel confident when they restore your smile.

Easy Care

Care for a crown precisely as you would care for a healthy tooth. Brushing, flossing, and regular dental appointments can maintain your crown for several years. Bridges take slightly more care since it is easier for food and plaque to collect around them.

Are You a Good Candidate for Crowns and Bridges?

Most patients with broken or decayed teeth are good candidates for crowns. However, if the tooth does not have enough structure to support a crown, a bridge could be an excellent option.

It would be best to have healthy teeth on either side of the gap to receive a standard bridge. A bridge can replace three or four teeth in a row. If you need more teeth replaced, you may want to consider a partial or complete denture. We offer both traditional and implant-supported dentures.