Restorative & Implant Care
Crowns & Bridges in Jenkintown, PA
Covering a tooth that needs protecting, or spanning a gap where one is gone.
A crown covers a tooth completely, holding together a tooth that has too little of itself left to survive on its own. A bridge uses that same idea to span a space, carrying a replacement tooth on crowns fitted either side of it.
Exceptional care for a lifetime of healthy smiles
The short answer
Crowns and bridges at MVP Family Dental
Custom-fabricated dental restorations that cap damaged teeth (crowns) or span gaps from missing teeth (bridges) to restore function and appearance.
A filling replaces what is missing from inside a tooth and relies on the walls around it. Once those walls are thin, cracked or largely gone, a filling has nothing sound to hold on to and the tooth is at risk of splitting under load.
That is the point where a crown becomes the right answer – it wraps the tooth rather than sitting inside it, so the biting force is held together rather than wedging the remaining walls apart.
When a crown is indicated
Four situations that call for one
A crown is more work than a filling, so it is used where a filling would not hold – not as an upgrade to one that would.
- A large existing fillingA tooth that is mostly filling has thin remaining walls, and thin walls flex and crack under chewing.
- After root canal treatmentA back tooth that has had root canal treatment is more brittle, and is commonly crowned to protect it.
- A cracked toothA crown holds the segments of a cracked tooth together so the crack cannot propagate under load.
- On an implantThe crown is what sits on top of a dental implant – see the Dental Implants page.
How treatment works
Prepared, made, then fitted
Crown and bridge work runs across appointments because the restoration is made to fit your prepared tooth precisely.
- Assessment and planningWe look at how much sound tooth remains, the state of the nerve, and what the bite is doing to it.
- Preparing the toothThe tooth is shaped so the crown can fit over it with the right thickness of material all round.
- Records and a temporaryImpressions or a scan go to the laboratory, and a temporary crown protects the tooth in the meantime.
- FittingThe finished restoration is tried in, checked for fit, contact and bite, and then cemented or bonded in place.
On this page
Crown and bridge options
Materials and designs differ in strength, appearance and how much tooth they need. Which suits a particular tooth depends on where it is in the mouth and what is being asked of it.
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All Ceramic Crowns
Metal-free ceramic crowns that provide the most natural-looking restoration with excellent translucency and color matching to surrounding teeth.
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Cantilever Bridges
Fixed dental bridge supported by a crown on only one side, used when adjacent teeth exist on just one side of the missing tooth gap.
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Dental Crowns
Custom-made cap placed over a damaged, decayed, or weakened tooth to restore its shape, strength, size, and appearance.
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Gold Crowns
Durable gold alloy crowns valued for their longevity, biocompatibility, and gentle wear on opposing teeth, ideal for back molars.
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Traditional Bridges
Fixed dental bridge anchored to natural teeth on either side of a gap to replace one or more missing teeth and restore your bite.
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Zirconia Crowns
High-strength zirconia ceramic crowns offering superior durability and a natural, translucent appearance for both front and back teeth.
Choosing between options
Bridge, implant, or leave it
Where a tooth is missing, a bridge is one of several answers. An implant stands on its own and leaves the neighboring teeth untouched; a bridge is carried by those teeth, which means preparing them. Sometimes leaving the space is a reasonable choice too.
The right answer depends on the condition of the teeth either side, the bone, the bite and what matters most to you. That is a consultation conversation rather than something to settle from a page.
- A crownCovers and protects a single tooth that has too little sound structure left.
- A bridgeSpans a gap, carried by crowns on the teeth either side of it.
- An implantReplaces the root as well as the crown, without involving the neighboring teeth.
Worth asking at your consultation
- Whether a filling would still hold, or whether the tooth genuinely needs covering.
- What condition the teeth either side of a gap are in.
- How a bridge compares with an implant in your particular case.
- What material is being recommended for your tooth, and why.
Looking after them
The margin is what matters
The crown itself cannot decay, but the tooth underneath it can – and it does so at the margin where crown meets tooth, right at the gumline. Brushing and cleaning between the teeth along that line is what keeps a crown serviceable.
A bridge needs cleaning underneath the section spanning the gap, which normal floss will not reach. A floss threader or an interdental brush does, and it is worth getting into the habit from the day it is fitted.
A crown protects the tooth underneath it. Keeping that tooth healthy is still your job and ours.
MVP Family Dental · Jenkintown, PA
Crown & Bridge Questions
- What is a dental crown?
- A custom-made cap that covers a damaged, decayed or weakened tooth completely, restoring its shape, strength, size and appearance.
- When do I need a crown instead of a filling?
- When there is too little sound tooth left for a filling to hold on to – typically a large existing filling, a cracked tooth, or a back tooth after root canal treatment.
- What is a dental bridge?
- A fixed restoration that spans a gap, carrying a replacement tooth on crowns fitted to the teeth either side of it.
- Bridge or implant?
- A bridge is carried by the teeth either side, which means preparing them. An implant stands on its own and leaves them untouched. Which is appropriate depends on those teeth, the bone and the bite.
- How many appointments does it take?
- Usually more than one, because the restoration is made to fit your prepared tooth. A temporary protects the tooth in between.
- Will it match my other teeth?
- Tooth-colored materials are shade-matched to the teeth around them. Where a crown will show, the material choice takes appearance into account as well as strength.
- Can a crowned tooth still decay?
- The crown cannot, but the tooth underneath can – at the margin where the crown meets the tooth. That is why cleaning along the gumline matters so much.
- How do I clean under a bridge?
- With a floss threader or an interdental brush. Normal floss cannot get under the section spanning the gap, and that area still needs cleaning daily.
Dr. Vineetha Thomas, D.M.D.
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Dr. Priya Mathew, D.M.D.
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