If you have teeth that are cracked or decayed beyond repair, you might be wondering what you can do to regain your smile. The answer is probably in crowns and bridges.

What Is a Dental Crown? Called a crown because it sits atop the original tooth, a dental crown is a cap that goes over the decayed or injured tooth. It is essentially a hallowed-out tooth-shaped cover that protects the tooth from further damage and helps to hold it together. It is often placed after a root canal as well as added protection.

There is no reason to fear getting a crown. They are long-lasting, painless, and look completely natural. After the tooth is shaped to fit the cap, the crown is cemented onto the original tooth, providing a strong and long-lasting base. It is customized to look exactly like your own teeth and is perfectly fitted, sized, and colored. Your mouth will both look and feel better.

Sometimes, a crown might be needed even on a healthy tooth, especially if you need a dental bridge.

What Is a Dental Bridge? If you have a huge gap in your mouth left by one or more missing teeth, you need to close it. Not only will you be able to eat and speak better, but if you don’t fill in the gap, your other teeth will start to shift, causing misalignment problems.

One of the ways to fix this is a dental bridge. Like the name suggests, this is done by building a bridge of teeth across the gap. Your dentist will form false teeth to fill the gap, based on your personal mouth and needs. However, there will be an extra tooth or two on each side of the bridge. These are actually just crowns that will anchor the bridge in place.

A bridge will be placed by fitting a crown on either side and sliding the bridge down into the gap. If everything fits properly, it will then be cemented in place, leaving you with a natural-looking smile again.