Dental Crowns & Bridges in Clayton, NC

At Clayton Smiles, our mission is to provide excellent dental care and educate and empower patients to make decisions that support excellent oral health.

By offering dental exams and cleanings and patient education, we help our patients avoid problems like cavities and gum disease.

However, even with excellent dental care, we place heavy demands on our teeth over a lifetime that takes its toll on even the healthiest smile. Most adults at some point find that they need solutions to restore damaged, broken, or missing teeth. 

Dr. Kate Dolin and Dr. Adam Spriggs, our top dentists in Clayton, NC, are pleased to offer custom-crafted dental crowns and bridges so that your teeth look healthy, feel great, and function comfortably. 

To learn more about dental crowns and bridges, continue reading through the headlines below. Also, contact our dental office if you would like to schedule a consultation with one of our dentists.

• The Importance of Teeth That Function Properly
• How Dental Crowns Improve Oral Health and Aesthetics
• Steps for Getting a Dental Crown
• Tooth Replacement with a Dental Bridge
• Preventing Future Damage and Tooth Loss
• Do You Need a Tooth Crown or Dental Bridge in Clayton, NC?

The Importance of Teeth That Function Properly

A healthy smile functions well and looks attractive. No one should have to live with dental pain or give up on nutritious foods because it hurts too much to chew them. 

Healthy smile function goes off track when one or more teeth are broken, damaged, or missing. This is because other teeth compensate for the damaged tooth, which subjects them to greater forces than they were meant to withstand.

This can result in further wear and breakage to your teeth and destructive habits like teeth grinding resulting from a bad dental bite.

How Dental Crowns Improve Oral Health and Aesthetics in Clayton, NC

Dental crowns or “caps” are custom-crafted to slip over a compromised tooth to strengthen and protect it from chewing forces and further damage. At Clayton Smiles, our dentists customize porcelain dental crowns so that they are indistinguishable once placed on your tooth. In other words, they look like your other teeth!

There are numerous reasons why our dentists might recommend a dental crown.

Dental Crown to Restore a Damaged Tooth

If you’ve broken or cracked your tooth, it can be scary. Fortunately, a dental crown can save the tooth by capping it to the gumline. The crown prevents further damage by creating a safety cushion between your bite force and the treated tooth beneath.

Dental Crown to Cap a Treated Tooth after a Root Canal

A dental crown can also support a treated tooth after you’ve had root canal therapy. Often the root infection and treatment can leave your tooth subject to breakage. A dental crown helps support the tooth going forward.

Two Dental Crowns Can Support a Dental Bridge

A dental bridge is a tooth situated between dental crowns. The crowns cap the tooth to the left and right of the space, allowing the restoration to fill in the gap.

A Dental Crown Completes a Dental Implant

A dental implant is a replacement root surgically implanted in the jaw. When this implant integrates to the jawbone, an implant dentist tops it with a dental crown.

Dental Crowns to Hide Tooth Flaws

A dental crown can cap a flawed tooth to conceal discoloration, chips, shape problems, small gaps between teeth, and cosmetic fractures.

Because dental crowns have many important uses, we always rely on the best materials and most trusted labs to fabricate these versatile restorations.

Steps for Getting a Dental Crown

Placing a new porcelain crown usually requires two appointments at our Clayton dental office, spaced about three weeks apart. During the first appointment, we remove some tooth enamel so that the crown fits properly. The next step is taking impressions of the prepared tooth that we use to create your new crown.

Your dentist places a temporary crown on the tooth to protect it, and about 2-3 weeks later, your final restoration will be ready. Our dentists then adjust the crown for fit, check that it doesn’t interfere with your dental bite, polish it, and cement it securely on your tooth. 

Tooth Replacement with a Dental Bridge

Dental bridges replace one or two missing teeth in a row. They consist of crowns attached to teeth on either side of the gap and an artificial tooth placed in the space. 

A bridge solves the aesthetic problem of missing teeth and helps prevent adjacent healthy teeth from shifting due to tooth loss. You will be able to speak, eat, and smile confidently again, and no one will suspect that you have had any dental work done. 

Preventing Future Damage and Tooth Loss

To prevent damage to your teeth and future tooth loss, it’s essential to visit our dental office regularly. Like the American Dental Association, our dentists recommend coming in twice each year for a thorough dental exam, x-rays as needed, and professional teeth cleanings.

Your dental checkup also includes an oral cancer screening, and it allows your dentist to ensure that your crowns and bridgework continue to function correctly.

Your teeth cleaning gets rid of plaque that your toothbrush just can’t eradicate. This helps support the integrity of your dental work and prevent new oral health issues that can cause tooth damage, loss of your dental work, and even tooth loss through gum disease.

Your role is to brush and floss regularly and use your special floss threader and cleaning brush to keep your bridge in top shape.

A member of our friendly team can give you tips and answer any questions you might have about your new smile and its upkeep.

Do You Need a Tooth Crown or Dental Bridge in Clayton, NC?

Broken, damaged, or missing teeth make it difficult to enjoy life fully, but there’s hope for your smile. Call Clayton Smiles to schedule a dental appointment with Dr. Kate or Dr. Spriggs to learn about our customized crowns and bridges.

We are always thrilled to help our patients realize their best and healthiest smiles. And we treat patients from all areas, including Garner, Wendell, Wilsons Mills, Smithfield, and beyond.