Want a smile makeover? Get Dental Veneers, Crowns, Bridges, & Implants in Ozark, Missouri.
Do you have serious concerns about your teeth?
Sometimes a filling is not enough. At Riverpointe Dental in Ozark, Missouri, we provide a wide range of oral surgery options including implants, crowns, veneers, and bridges. These modern solutions can give you a confident smile, a strong bite, and improved speech abilities.
What’s the difference between dental veneers, crowns, bridges, & implants?
Veneer
A dental veneer is a porcelain shell that fits permanently over just the front surface of your existing tooth. It hides small cracks, chips, stains, and other surface-level concerns. It can also be used to widen narrow teeth, to fill in excessive gaps. We design the custom veneer after scanning your mouth with our digital scanner – no need for a goopy dental impression. You get to pick the shape and shade of your new tooth. When the new veneer is ready, we simply remove a thin layer of the old tooth’s front surface and cover it with the new high-quality material. Veneers often last between 10 to 15 years with proper care and maintenance.
Crown
A dental crown is a strong, permanent porcelain shell that covers the entire tooth structure. This is an effective way to repair most teeth that are badly cracked or decayed too severely for a filling. Crowns are also used to cover a tooth after a root canal. It’s made of extremely strong material, such as E-Max or Zirconia. This solution covers the entire visible part of a weak, broken, or seriously decayed tooth. Our crowns are completely white (tooth-colored) with no silver. We use a digital scanner to design a crown that looks just like your original tooth did when it was new and healthy. It will match the shape and color of your smile for a natural look. Dental crowns can last up to 30 years with proper care and maintenance.
Bridge
A dental bridge is a technique used to replace a missing tooth. A false tooth held in place, floating just above the gums, connected to a crown on each side. This is more involved, since it involves placing two crowns plus the false tooth. A more elaborate bridge could be designed to replace a small row of teeth. You must brush and floss as normal, and you must clean underneath the false tooth each day using a floss threader or a special tiny brush called an interproximal brush. A dental bridge could last five to 15 years, or even longer.
Implant
A dental implant replaces both the visible part of the tooth (the crown) and the root. We use the digital scanner to design a custom replacement tooth that matches your existing healthy teeth and looks very natural. It is secured to the jaw with a dental screw. Bone graft is sometimes needed if bone loss has occurred in the jaw. This is the most extensive and expensive process, but the result is long-lasting, stronger, and easier to maintain. A dental implant can last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance.
Please note: Each of these procedures requires at least two appointments.When we call veneers, crowns, and bridges “permanent,” we mean you can’t remove them on your own (compared to dentures which are removed easily at home). Only a dentist can remove or replace these dental products. Dental implants are the only solution considered to be truly permanent.
