How Long Do Crowns and Bridges Last? When is each indicated?

How long do crowns and bridges last? Dental crowns and bridges are similar solutions that fix problems such as missing teeth, fractures, or severely damaged teeth. However, each one serves different purposes, and their duration depends on factors such as material, maintenance, oral hygiene, eating habits, levels of acids on your saliva’s Ph and function.

At Dental Alvarez, we offer five-star dental treatments such as dental bridges and dental crowns in Tijuana with long-lasting results. Thanks to our digital workflow implemented at our practice and our highly trained specialized dentists in Tijuana, we are able to provide our patients with the best dental care, and unmatched precision with high-quality materials. Learn more about crowns and bridges with us.

Crown vs. Bridges

Dental crowns are a cost-effective and non-invasive procedure that benefit your oral health. If you recently had an accident that damaged one or more dental pieces, it is essential that you book an appointment for a clinical oral evaluation and x-rays to determine the best dental treatment that will help you preserve your teeth’s esthetic and chewing functionality. One of the fastest and most common solutions are crowns and/or bridges. But after given any of these treatment plan options, you are probably wondering, “how long do crowns and bridges last?”, which is absolutely normal to think because you want an investment that will last.

With proper care and frequent dental maintenance and checkups, crowns can last an average of 8 to 10 years. Dental crowns are used to restore broken teeth, enamel wear, teeth that have lost a large portion of healthy tissue, in most cases due to untreated decay or unreplaced old filling restorations, and teeth that have been recently treated with a root canal to protect and reinforced the natural tooth. We have an internal dental laboratory, therefore we have a better control of the quality and strength of our crown restorations, plus we only offer metal free crowns such as full zirconia and e-max, for esthetic, compatible and long-lasting results. 

On the other hand, a dental bridge’s main purpose is to replace missing teeth. In order to qualify for this option, patients need to have teeth on both sides of the missing tooth, so they can be used as anchors to support the replacement pontic tooth-crown. If there are multiple continuous missing teeth or there’s not a natural tooth on one of the ends that will serve as anchor, it is best if an implant supported bridge is placed instead. Dental bridges can be placed over natural teeth or over implants, depending on each patient’s specific needs. Bridges can last from 8 to 10 years, exactly like crowns, but they require more laborious oral hygiene to extend their lifetime.

In the end, dental crowns and bridges are excellent alternatives to help you achieve the dental appearance you’ve always dreamed of and most importantly to gain back your chewing abilities and not struggle with an essential and daily need such as eating and enjoying our favorite meals. 

Tips for maintaining your dental crowns and bridges in good conditions

Here are some recommendations you must follow to keep your dental crowns and bridges in excellent conditions and prolong their lifetime:

• Avoid eating hard foods
• Avoid chewing ice
• Steer clear from biting your nails or any hard object such as pens or pencils
• Avoid using your teeth as tools: for example, bottle opening
• Visit your dentist periodically for a dental checkup and maintenance cleanings
• Use special floss or water pick device to clean underneath your bridges

When looking for dental solutions, you want to get the quality dental care you deserve in the hands of qualified, experienced and caring specialized dentists. You will receive the attention of the best dentists in Tijuana
at Dental Alvarez. 

If you want to use your dental insurance in Tijuana, don’t hesitate to contact us to solve your concerns. Get the best quality dental attention at our state-of-the-art equipped dental practice which will give you a reason to smile every day!