Fillings, Crowns & Bridges in Texas

Dental Bridges

If you’ve lost teeth due to damage from tooth decay or an injury, your Texas dentist can use a tooth bridge to replace them.

What Are Tooth Bridges?

Bridges are generally made of a framework secured to a pontic, or prosthetic tooth, and adjacent teeth. Bridges neatly fit into the space left behind by lost teeth.

What Are the Different Types of Tooth Bridges?

A tooth bridge may come in one of two main types: cantilever and traditional. Your dentist will determine what type of bridge to recommend for your mouth based on where in the mouth the restoration is needed.

Dentists use cantilever bridges when only one usable adjacent tooth is available to connect to. Cantilever bridges are unsuitable for the rear of the mouth as they cannot withstand extreme pressure such as from biting or chewing.

Dentists connect traditional bridges to adjacent teeth on each side of an empty space left behind by missing teeth in order to give the artificial teeth replacing them the most reliable support and greatest durability. Dentists will typically apply crowns to those adjacent teeth to provide the most secure points on which to attach the bridge to those teeth.

Tooth Fillings

One of the most common dental treatments, fillings are appliances dentists use to repair decayed teeth by replacing the decayed matter with material that functions and looks like the natural teeth. Dentists usually use fillings when the outer enamel shell of a patient’s tooth is damaged due to tooth decay or damage, forming cavities, or holes, in the tooth’s enamel and tissue. When this occurs, bacteria can enter the cavities and settle there, eating away at the surrounding tooth.

What Is the Tooth Filling Procedure?

When you visit a Texas dentist at Bright Smiles Family Dentistry, he or she will remove all of the damaged enamel and decayed tissue from the affected area, then place a filling into the space to seal it. A tooth filling can give your tooth stability and support while lowering the odds of subsequent problems with the same tooth.

What Are the Different Types of Tooth Fillings?

Your dentist at Bright Smiles Family Dentistry can provide you with fillings made of silver amalgam, porcelain, gold alloy, or silver amalgam, depending on your needs and desires. To fill teeth that are visible when you eat or smile, your dentist may recommend tooth-colored fillings.

Tooth Crowns

What Are Crowns for Teeth?

Tooth crowns are also known as dental caps due to the fact that they fit over the teeth. Dentists use a tooth crown to give fragile or damaged teeth a protective shell that restores their look and function. A crown fits snugly over a natural tooth to permit a person to apply pressure to the teeth, such as from biting and chewing, without worrying about damaging the teeth any further.

What Are the Different Types of Tooth Crowns Available?

A tooth crown must be made of a material strong enough to withstand biting, chewing, and other types of intense pressure. Such materials include ceramics, porcelain-and-metal fusions, and gold alloys.

Dental Bridge, Filling and Crown FAQs

How Do You Know Whether You Need a Dental Bridge, Filling, or Crown?

If you need restorative treatment, your dentist at Bright Smiles Family Dentistry will help you determine which type of restoration is right for you.

What Does a Dental Bridge Cost, Tooth Filling Cost, and Dental Crown Cost?

The cost for a dental bridge, filling, or crown depends on its placement and the material from which it’s fabricated. The cost for a bridge also depends on the size of the bridge, the cost for a filling also depends on the extent of the decay, and the cost for a crown also depends on how many teeth need capping.

Tooth-colored fillings, for example, cost more than silver amalgam fillings but not as much as gold alloy dental fillings.

At Bright Smiles Family Dentistry, our knowledgeable and friendly team can give you a cost estimate for the procedure you require and help you come up with a payment plan to help make the procedure more affordable.

Many insurance companies pay for all or a portion of tooth bridges, fillings, and crowns, especially if it’s deemed medically necessary to restore dental function and preserve oral health. Contact your insurer to find out whether your policy covers the dental restoration you need and, if so, what portion of the cost.

Call Bright Smiles Family Dentistry now to discuss how a dental bridge, filling, or crown can help restore your dental health and function and the appearance of your smile.