Damaged teeth can wreck your confidence and dental health. Renewing your smile may be as simple as getting a few dental fillings or crowns. These procedures can boost self-esteem while restoring oral health and function.
After a comprehensive evaluation, Dr. Matthew L. Bridges can help you decide on the best treatment plan for your smile. The Chisholm Trail Smile Center team in Duncan, OK, are experts in tooth restoration. Here’s how we’ll renew your smile.
Smiles Start with a Healthy Mouth
Decay from one tooth can move to other teeth like wildfire. A broken tooth can lead to weakening nearby teeth. Suddenly, you’ve gone from one bad tooth to a mouthful of issues. The only solution is to quickly stop the spread.
To get started, Dr. Bridges will examine the damaged tooth to see if the tooth is salvageable. If a tooth still has a healthy structure, our team will discuss restoration options with you.
Dental Filling or Crown?
Treatment options depend on the level of damage in a tooth. The ultimate goal of our team is to keep as much of the healthy, natural tooth structure as possible while creating an attractive smile that functions comfortably.
Two common restoration options are fillings and dental crowns. Here’s how they stack up.
Dental Fillings
When a tooth has a small amount of decay or other damage, a filling may be sufficient.
- Materials: Fillings come in two options, amalgam (dark) and composite resin (white). Amalgam fillings are made up of metals including zinc and mercury. Composite resin fillings are made from a plastic mixture. To give a more natural look, our team will customize the resin is customized to match your damaged tooth.
- Durability: Amalgam fillings can last around 15 years while composite fillings last around five years. Both are highly durable and don’t require special care. If a filling becomes loose or chipped, the affected tooth may need either a new filling or a crown. For instance, replacing a large filling with a new filling may not provide enough structural integrity for the tooth. In this case, Dr. Bridges may advise a crown instead of a filling.
- Costs: Amalgam and composite filling costs are very similar, though both vary based on insurance coverage. On average, costs are:
- Amalgam Fillings: $50 to $150
- Composite Fillings: $90 to $250
Both options are cheaper than dental crowns, but not as long-lasting.
Dental Crowns
When a tooth has extensive damage, a dental crown protects the remaining healthy structure of the tooth. A dental crown is a cap placed on top of an existing tooth; it looks and feels like your natural tooth. Here’s a quick review on dental crowns.
- Materials: Chisholm Trails Smile Center offers four different options for dental crowns; all ceramic, metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) combination, and zirconia. Dr. Bridges will go over the options with you to help you determine which one best suits your needs.
- Durability: All dental crowns are durable and can last between 15 and 25 years. Created with the strongest material, zirconia dental crowns are generally the most durable.
- Costs: Dental crown costs can fluctuate depending on the material used and insurance coverage.
- Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal: $500-$1500
- Metal: $600 to $2000
- All Ceramic: $800 to $3000
- Zirconia: $1000 to $2500
Flexible spending accounts often help bring down costs.
Transform Your Smile with Dental Crowns and Dental Fillings Today!
Tooth damage dragging you down? The team at Chisholm Trail Smile Center can help. Dr. Matthew L. Bridges provides comprehensive dental care in Duncan, OK, and for patients of all ages in the surrounding areas. Come see us and we’ll get you smiling again. Call us today at 580-255-4880.
