Crowns and Bridges in our Kirkland Dentist Office

If you have a damaged tooth or missing teeth, dental crowns and dental bridges can help fill in uncomfortable gaps and restore your smile to good health and full functionality. Our office is happy to help you by offering attractive, natural-looking crowns and bridges that blend in perfectly with your own teeth.

The Problem of Damaged and Missing Teeth

a woman holds her jaw | Kirkland WA crowns and bridgesAside from the cosmetic issue, damaged and missing teeth can have a rather severe impact on your overall oral health. When a tooth is damaged, pain is common. Not only does this affect your quality of life, it also makes it difficult to eat the foods you need to be healthy, and malnutrition can become a very real concern.

Missing and severely damaged teeth also put extra strain on your remaining teeth, which can cause them to wear down faster and develop chips and fractures. Eventually, you may wind up losing additional teeth. Missing teeth can affect the quality of your speech, and over time, the bone in your jaw may atrophy, causing the shape of your face to change.

Repairing and replacing damaged or missing teeth restores all your teeth to full functionality and takes the pressure off your other teeth, allowing you to smile, laugh, and speak comfortably and confidently once again.


The Advantages of Crowns and Bridges

dental crowns laying on a white backdrop | crowns and bridges Kirkland WAIf you know someone with an older crown or bridge, you may have noticed that their dental work is revealed by a dark line right at the gum. Modern crowns and bridges are made using different materials that eliminate this dark line and allow your restorative dental work to blend in with your own natural teeth instead of giving away the secret to your beautiful smile.

Dental crowns strengthen and protect your tooth, preventing or eliminating the need for extraction. Dental implants also make use of dental crowns. In this case, the crown is placed over a titanium “root” that is placed by an oral surgeon. This implanted tooth is long-lasting and looks completely natural.

Dental crowns are also often used to secure other restorative dental work including bridges, partials, and dentures. To replace several teeth in a row, a crown is placed over a tooth adjacent to the space left by the missing teeth, and then a bridge or other type of dental work is used to fill in the gap.

Crowns and bridges fit snugly and neatly in among your regular teeth, and you clean them and care for them the same way you would your own teeth with a regular brushing and flossing routine and twice yearly examinations and cleanings. These restorations are durable but can crack if placed under extreme pressure, so do not use your teeth for anything other than chewing food!

To find out if you are a good candidate for dental crowns or a bridge, please call Jen Kim: Family & Cosmetic Dentistry to schedule your examination and consultation.