January 2013 - Ryan Perry, DDS

In a couple of weeks, I will need to get a Maryland Bridge placed in my mouth. My dentist mentioned the lifespan would be about 10 years. I’m curious about what happens after 10 years. This bridge will be fixed. Does it loosen after this time?

– Terry from Louisiana

Terry,

Patients find it confusing when dentists talk about the lifespan on dental work. There is no way of knowing exactly how long dental work will last. It’s okay to give an approximate time and then let patients know that many factors come into play.

Lifespan varies from patient to patient and other concerns include the bridge wearing out and how long you will have it before something goes wrong.

Loosening may occur over time with the Maryland Bridge but this also depends on the stress in your mouth. If you flex your teeth a lot when you bite, 10 years might be overly optimistic for lifespan. However, if you are soft on your bite, you might get to wear your bridge longer. Eating habits play a large role in the health of the bridges because if you snack a lot and don’t brush well, you may get decay. Other issues can be tooth color. If you drink coffee or tea, dark-colored foods or eat other pigmented foods, your natural teeth may stain but your white porcelain bridge will remain whiter. This is a problem but can be solved by having professional tooth whitening done.

Remember that lifespan is an approximation so keep this in mind when you have the procedure done. Your bridge will obviously last longer if you’re easier with your teeth.

This blog brought to you by Baton Rouge family dentist, Dr. Ryan P. Perry.

Not long ago, I decided to have a smile makeover. I thought I received porcelain veneers, but when I look at my teeth, the porcelain appears to go all the way around my teeth. I’m wondering if this was completed like this because my teeth weren’t strong enough before the makeover. Is it normal to have my entire tooth covered even though my procedure was done for cosmetic reasons?

– Anton in Louisiana

Anton,
There isn’t a big difference between porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns. In fact, it’s hard to determine when a porcelain veneer becomes a crown. In terms of fees, most cosmetic dentists have fees that are close to the same for either procedure because both types of dental work take about the same amount of work to finish.

When you receive cosmetic work, it’s quite common to have porcelain crowns done across your front teeth. Your dentist usually has a good reason to have the whole tooth done in the makeover. In fact, there are many reasons your tooth may be crowned. If your tooth was weak in any way, if there were fillings in the teeth or if your bite needed improvement, you would need more extensive treatment.

It’s important that dentists discuss with you why they might recommend crowns. The majority of cosmetic dentists do their best to be conservative with their work. They do this by trying to preserve as much or your natural tooth structure as possible. They know that crown work is more aggressive and requires a substantial amount of tooth reduction all the way around and they do their best to avoid it whenever possible. However, sometimes the tooth is too weak and needs more stability with crowns. Veneers require only a slight shaving of the front of the tooth. This is why you need to have a proper explanation for why you might need crowns.

This blog brought to you by Baton Rouge family dentist, Dr. Ryan P. Perry.

What is the lifespan of a Maryland Bridge?

Do they do smile makeovers with crowns?

Archives for January 2013