Crowns and bridges
A crown covers a tooth that is cracked, worn or heavily filled. A bridge replaces one or more missing teeth by joining crowns on the teeth either side to a false tooth between them.
What happens
Plan on two or three visits over a few weeks.
- 01
Step 1: Exam and plan
Dr. Durham or an associate checks the tooth, looks at your X-rays, and explains whether a crown, a bridge or another choice fits.
- 02
Step 2: Preparing the teeth
The area is numbed and the tooth is shaped. A scan or an impression is sent to the dental lab.
- 03
Step 3: A temporary
A temporary crown or bridge protects the teeth while the lab makes the final one.
- 04
Step 4: Fitting
We check the fit and your bite, adjust it, and show you how to clean around it.
A bridge needs healthy teeth on both sides of the gap. If they aren't, an implant may be the better choice.
Comfort, choices and care
Comfort
The teeth are numbed before they're shaped, and you can raise a hand to stop at any time. Teeth can feel sensitive to hot and cold for a while afterward.
If you wait
A cracked tooth can break further, and a gap can let neighboring teeth drift. You can also choose to watch a tooth, or to leave a gap. We tell you what we'd watch for.
Risks and after-care
A tooth that has been shaped for a crown stays shaped. Crowns and bridges can chip, come loose, or let decay start at the edge. Cleaning well and coming to checkups matter.
How it's billed
By the tooth, with a written estimate before anything begins. Many dental plans pay for part of a crown or bridge.
How fees work
Questions about crowns and bridges
Crown or implant?
It depends on whether the tooth can be saved and what the bone looks like. Dr. Durham shows you both and what each asks of the teeth beside it.
How long does a crown last?
No one can promise that. It depends on the tooth underneath, how you clean it, your bite, and whether you grind your teeth.
What if my temporary comes off?
Call us and we'll find a time to put it back. Keep it safe if it comes out whole.
Planned by a prosthodontist
Planned by Dr. Mabel Durham, DDS, who completed a residency in prosthodontics and is a diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics. Routine crowns may be made by Dr. Ganguly or Dr. Zeidan, general dentists licensed in Washington.