Understanding Dental Crowns and Bridges: Anterior Crowns

Dental crowns and bridges are one of the most common options for repairing damaged or missing teeth. When crowns are an option, they significantly improve the function and aesthetics of a tooth. A common misconception is that crowns are noticeably and look unnatural, however, with the skills and materials that are used in our office, no one will ever know you have a crown! In today's blog, the Guelph Village Dental team wanted to take a moment to discuss one variation of dental crowns and bridges, the anterior crown. If you think you might need crowns, this should give you a better understanding of them.

Understanding Anterior Crowns and What They Entail

Simply put, anterior crowns are full porcelain caps on your front teeth - specifically your incisors and eye teeth. Since these teeth are used for cutting and tearing, they undergo a lot of strain over a lifetime, making them vulnerable to wearing out. In addition, being in front, they'll also take the brunt of any direct hits to the face. Anterior crowns can be used to repair chipped or broken teeth, as well as crowded teeth or discoloration. They are called for when the front teeth are damaged, but there is still enough original tooth left in place for a crown to connect to. If the tooth is missing entirely, other dental solutions such as bridges or implants may be needed.

The Benefits

One of the biggest benefits to anterior crowns is that, when properly cared for, they can be a very long-lasting solution. Of course, accidents and mishaps can damage them, just as with your natural teeth. There can be some challenges to anterior crowns as well.  As previously mentioned, there are cases where they aren't an option, but when there is sufficient natural tooth remaining, they attach seamlessly. The big challenge for a dentist is matching the colouration of your other teeth. Since these crowns are in front, even slight differences in colouration will be noticeable to other people. This is one of the ways that dentistry is still an art as well as a science! Overall, anterior porcelain crowns are frequently recommended by dentists when a patient's front teeth are damaged. It's a very common procedure which nearly any dentist should be able to perform.

Get Well-Crafted Dental Crowns and Bridges with Us

Guelph Village Dental offers leading dental treatments and services in Guelph, with years of experience. Contact us to schedule an initial appointment!