Differences Between Dental Crowns & Bridges (Plus Pros & Cons)

Dental bridges and crowns are popular procedures that help restore the appearance and function of your teeth. Bridges replace missing teeth, while crowns protect and cover weakened, damaged, and severely discolored teeth.

Read on to learn more.

What Are Dental Crowns?

Dental crowns are made of porcelain, composite resin, ceramics, or metal. They look like a cap and cover the entire visible portion of a tooth, restoring its strength and helping protect it from further damage. Crowns can also improve the appearance of a severely discolored or malformed tooth.

Pros and Cons of Dental Crowns

Pros

• Address severe discoloration of teeth.
• Provide strength and durability to weakened teeth.
• Address misshapen teeth.
• They can last up to 15 years or more with proper care.
• They can protect an underlying tooth that has undergone tooth canal therapy.

Cons

• They can be costly.
• Your dentist needs to grind down a portion of the natural healthy tooth.
• They may be durable but can be susceptible to breakage or damage without proper care, requiring excellent emergency dental care.
• You need to visit your dentist twice or thrice to complete the procedure.

What Are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are an artificial replacement for missing teeth. It consists of two crowns attached to pontics (artificial teeth), which fill in the gap left by the missing teeth and help prevent other teeth from shifting into that space. The surrounding crowns are placed on either side of the pontics, anchoring them in place and stabilizing your bite. Bridges can be made of porcelain fused with metal, all-metal, or ceramic materials.

Pros and Cons of Dental Bridges

Pros

• They help maintain your face’s natural shape.
• They can replace minor tooth gaps.
• They can improve how you chew and speak.
• They cost less than dental implants.
• They help prevent teeth from shifting.
• They don’t require too much grinding of a healthy natural tooth.
• Clear braces (see here for more info) can be used as an additional procedure to correct teeth misalignment.

Cons

• They cannot last as long as dental implants and may need to be replaced within ten years.
• They rely on the surrounding teeth for support, so if these teeth become damaged or decayed, the bridge can be affected.
• Bridge replacements require more than one visit and may involve laboratory work.
• The process of implant-supported bridges takes longer and costs more.
• They can be expensive.
• Maryland bridges can damage the existing teeth and are not durable.

What Are the Differences Between Dental Crowns and Bridges?

When to Use Dental Crowns or Bridges?

Dental crowns are used when your tooth has been weakened or damaged or is severely discolored. Crowns can also restore and protect teeth after root canal therapy. Bridges are best for replacing missing teeth, preventing the surrounding teeth from shifting into that space, and restoring the natural shape of your face.

Maryland bridges may be better for short-term replacements as they require less alteration to healthy existing teeth than traditional bridges. Implant-supported bridges are ideal for permanent replacements because they don’t rely on adjacent teeth for support and last longer than other bridges.

To summarize, dental crowns provide protection and cover weakened or damaged teeth, while dental bridges replace missing teeth with artificial ones.