Crowns and bridges help you keep your smile healthy and attractive. The restorations, offered by your family dentists, Dr. John Ruland and Dr. Michael Ruland of Ruland Family Dentistry in Annapolis, MD, can be an excellent option if you lost a tooth or your tooth is damaged, fragile, decayed, or unattractive.

How crowns and bridges can help your smile

Whether they're made of porcelain, porcelain-fused-to-metal, ceramic, or resin, crowns and bridges are used to:

• Restore Decayed Teeth: If tooth decay is extensive, you may need more than a filling to restore your tooth. Hollow crowns, also called caps, completely cover the top of your tooth, once its size has been reduced slightly. Crowns are cemented to your tooth and become a permanent part of your mouth.
• Protect a Filling: During your visit to the Annapolis dental office, a crown may be recommended if a filling is in jeopardy of becoming loose or dislocated.
• Strengthen a Cracked or Weak Tooth: Biting and chewing can fracture fragile teeth. Unfortunately, if the fracture extends into the root of the tooth, extraction may be the only option. Your teeth may become more fragile as you age or may weaken due to a large filling or root canal therapy. Crowns absorb biting forces, preventing your fragile tooth from breaking.
• Restore a Broken Tooth: Crowns not only restore the normal height and width of a broken tooth but can also ease the pain that may occur if the broken ends of the tooth are exposed to the air. Your crown is made from an impression of your mouth to ensure that your restoration looks and feels natural.
• Improve the Appearance of Your Tooth: Do you have a twisted or crooked tooth? Although you may need orthodontic treatment if several of your teeth are crooked, a crown can easily change the shape of one or two teeth. Crowns can also hide discolorations and other imperfections and extend the length of a tooth.
• Replace a Missing Tooth: Crowns anchor bridges used to restore missing teeth. Bridges are made up of one or more artificial teeth attached to crowns on either end. Crowns can also be connected to dental implants that replace the roots of missing teeth.

Enhance your smile with crowns and bridges! Call your family dentists in Annapolis, MD, Dr. John Ruland and Dr. Michael Ruland of Ruland Family Dentistry, at (410) 268-5800 to schedule your appointment.