Dental Prosthetics
The word Prosthetics may sound like a big word, but it simply means making something with artificial materials to replace lost tooth structure or teeth so that a natural bite can be restored in your mouth. This could include anything from crowns to bridges to dentures. Fixed or permanent prosthetics are things that do not come in and out of your mouth and thus feel more like your natural teeth. These include crowns and bridges. If it is at all possible both financially and functionally, it is best to build back your lost bite in a way that would best mimic what you had or what is ideal.

The material that most mimics original tooth structure and adapts closest to the tooth is gold. It is still the standard in dentistry, and when placed on a back tooth that does not show in your smile, it is the most long-lasting and comfortable material to use. New porcelains, which are tooth colored can now so closely match natural teeth in looks that one can absolutely not tell that it is not a natural tooth. The further forward in the smile, the more important it is to have a natural looking smile, so porcelain is recommended. New strong porcelains are available that can replace a missing front tooth by connecting them with crowns on teeth next to the space. Now we even have tooth colored materials available to replace a space in the front of the mouth without having to harm or alter the shape of the teeth next to the space. These are called bonded bridges.

As you can tell from discussion between porcelain in the front of the mouth and gold towards the back of the mouth, the teeth in-between have choices that you and the dentist need to discuss to weigh the benefits of the durability and longevity of gold versus the looks of porcelain.

Finally, as with most things artfully made, not all crowns are made the same. To best fit your smile, the contours must be exact and ideally mimic nature and the junctions to the tooth must be accurate to 20 microns. It takes great skill and direction from the dentist and laboratory to provide you with the perfect crown. Seek out the best.

You deserve to keep your smile forever and dental prosthetics are now available that will amaze you as to their abilities to give you that life-long smile.