Dental crowns restore decayed or damaged teeth, while a bridge can replace one or more adjacent missing teeth.

patient at consultation for dental crown in dillon, co

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Dental Crowns and Bridges in Dillon, CO

Close up of a dental crown in Summit County, CO When a tooth is broken, heavily decayed, or missing entirely, the effects ripple further than you might expect — difficulty chewing, shifting teeth, changes in your bite, and the self-consciousness that comes with a visible gap. Left untreated, the problems compound.

The good news: dental crowns and bridges are among the most reliable restorations in dentistry. When placed by experienced hands, they restore full function, look completely natural, and can last 15 years or longer.

At Summit Dental Group, our goal is to provide our patients with the highest quality dental care available. Drs. Mitchell and Schneider use their extensive experience and training to create durable, natural-looking dental restorations. We take pride in our ability to create crowns and bridges that will return your teeth to their full function and give you a smile you can be proud of.

At-a-Glance: Crowns and Bridges at Summit Dental Group

Protect What's Left: Crowns fully encase and reinforce broken, cracked, or heavily decayed teeth before they deteriorate further.
Replace What's Missing: Bridges fill the gap left by one or more missing teeth with a fixed, non-removable restoration that functions like your natural teeth.
All-Porcelain Options: Beautiful, natural-looking porcelain crowns blend seamlessly with your surrounding teeth — no metal lines at the gumline.
Emergency Coverage: Broken crown or lost bridge? Summit Dental Group offers 24/7 emergency dental care so you're never left waiting.

Caring for Your Crowns and Bridges

Porcelain crowns and bridges are durable, but they still require care. With good habits, you can expect your restoration to last 15 years — or longer.

Brush Twice Daily and Floss Daily

For bridges, use a floss threader or water flosser to clean beneath the pontic (the artificial tooth) where a standard floss pass can't reach.

Avoid Biting Hard Objects with a Crowned Tooth

Ice, hard candy, pen caps, and similar items place sudden, concentrated force on the restoration that can cause chipping or cracking — the same force that likely damaged the original tooth in the first place.

Wear a Nightguard

Bruxism places repeated, excessive force on your crowns and bridges that accelerates wear and can lead to chipping or cracking over time. A custom-fitted nightguard from our office protects your restorations — and your natural teeth — while you sleep.

Keep Your Regular Dental Exams and Cleanings

At every visit, Drs. Mitchell and Schneider check your restorations for early signs of wear, loosening, or damage — catching issues before they become costly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everyone is different when it comes to the life span of their dental work. Since individual biology and behavior vary, it is difficult to say precisely how long a dental crown will last. After we’ve had a chance to examine your teeth, though, we can usually give you a fairly close estimate.

Improvements in Technology

We’ve seen dramatic improvements in the last ten years in dental materials and technology used to create and place dental crowns. But the life of your crown has a lot to do with your own oral hygiene and behavior, which can significantly impact how long your crown will last. Some things that can affect this are a strong dental bite, gum disease, and excessive force on your teeth due to grinding and clenching.

Standard Expectations

In general, if you are healthy and follow practice proper oral hygiene, your crowns can be expected to last for about 15 years. If you are really diligent about your overall oral health care, your crowns could last a lifetime.

As part of your regular checkups, Drs. Mitchell and Schneider will examine your crowns for signs of weakness or damage and address any of these problems to prevent your crowns from breaking or coming loose.

We’ve placed many crowns over the years with great results. This experience helps to ensure that your crowns last for as long as possible, especially if you return to our office for your regular dental exams and cleanings.

Dental emergencies like a lost or damaged crown always cause stress, so it’s good to know that someone at Summit Dental Group is standing by to help you. A crown that has fallen out may or may not be an emergency, but you can always call us, and we can help decide if you need immediate treatment.

The Effects of a Broken Crown

A lost crown is a problem because it can be painful but without the crown to protect it, the tooth can also weaken, making it more susceptible to further damage. It’s important to handle a loose crown carefully, because there’s a good chance that all we need to do is cement it back into place.

Whatever you do, do not use store-bought dental cement as you may end up doing additional damage to the tooth or crown. Do keep the crown wrapped in tissue and in a safe place so that it does not get damaged.

First Steps in Fixing a Broken Crown

We can’t tell you if a lost crown is an emergency or not until we speak to you and assess the information you give us. The first step is to contact our Dillon dental office. If it’s after-hours, you can call and leave a message, and someone will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Dental Bridges Are A Solution

Dental bridges are used as a solution for filling the space left by a missing tooth. Bridges resolve the cosmetic problem and also restore function because they allow you to chew and speak normally.

Having a dental bridge placed at our Summit dental office requires two to three visits to complete. Drs. Mitchell and Schneider are highly-skilled in creating beautiful bridges that fit your mouth perfectly and look completely natural.

What is a Dental Bridge?

A bridge is a unit made up of three or more pieces consisting of an artificial tooth that has a dental crown on either side. These crowns will be attached to adjacent teeth to support and stabilize the bridge.

How Are Dental Bridges Placed?

Once we decide that a dental bridge is the best choice for you, we start by preparing the teeth where the crowns will be placed. Next, we take an impression that will be used to create a mold. Then we send the mold to a dental lab where your finished crown is created.

We do offer other options to replace missing teeth such as partial dentures and dental implant restorations. Replacing missing teeth is important for your oral health, and we will be happy to discuss your options and which will work best for you.

Your Experience is Our Priority

At Summit Dental Group, we practice painless dentistry because we want to do everything to keep you as comfortable as possible. Having a dental crown placed does not hurt when it’s done by skilled professionals like Drs. Mitchell and Schneider.

The Process of Getting a Crown

The process of getting a new crown is really not that complicated. It does take a few visits to our office, but that is because your crown is carefully created at a dental lab, so we have to wait for this part to be completed.

When we prepare your tooth during the first appointment, we will numb the area so that you don’t feel anything. After that first visit, there usually is no need to use any anesthetic, but we certainly can if you are very sensitive.

Once the finished crown is placed, you will probably experience an odd sensation at first. This is only because the crown is a new fixture in your mouth, and it may take a day or two to get used to the feel of it.

Our doctors are very gentle and sensitive to your needs, and we will do everything to make sure you are comfortable throughout the process. If you would like more information about dental crowns and how they work, please give us a call!

The Effect of Missing Teeth

The biggest concern associated with missing teeth is tooth alignment problems. One or more missing teeth allow surrounding teeth to shift into the empty space, creating a domino effect that results in alignment issues and difficulties with your dental bite.

These problems can potentially lead to premature wear, teeth grinding, and chipped or fractured teeth. Replacing missing teeth is also important because all your teeth are designed to work together to allow you to chew and speak properly. The loss of even one tooth can make these basic functions difficult.

Tooth Replacement Options

Tooth replacement options like dental bridges and dental implants are effective because they not only prevent teeth from shifting, but they also restore functionality, allowing you to chew and speak normally. In addition, they provide a cosmetic solution by filling the gaps left by missing teeth.

It is important for you to have teeth that allow you to speak and chew normally, but missing teeth also detract from your self-confidence. If you have questions about the solution that is best for you, please contact us, we will be more than happy to answer your questions and discuss your options.

Dental Crowns in Dillon, CO

A dental crown, also called a "cap," is a custom-made restoration that fits over a damaged tooth from the gumline up, fully encasing and protecting it. Once cemented in place, it restores your ability to chew and speak normally and shields the tooth from further damage.

Crowns are typically recommended when:

A tooth has extensive decay that leaves too little structure for a filling to hold
A tooth is cracked, fractured, or at risk of splitting
A tooth has completed root canal treatment and needs protection
A large existing filling is failing or the surrounding tooth is weakened
A tooth is severely worn from grinding (bruxism)
A dental implant needs a crown placed on top

Why All-Porcelain?

For many years, crowns were made of metal — obvious and unaesthetic. Later, porcelain-over-metal crowns improved appearances but often revealed a grey metal line at the gumline as the gums receded over time. Today, advances in dental materials allow Drs. Mitchell and Schneider to place beautiful all-porcelain crowns that are both durable and virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth.

Dental Bridges in Dillon, CO

Close up of a dental bridge in Summit County, CO

A dental bridge is a restoration used to replace one or several missing teeth. A bridge is made up of several crowns and is used to fill the gap left by a missing tooth or missing teeth. The bridge is then attached to neighboring natural teeth using crowns that stabilize the restoration. Drs. Mitchell and Schneider may also recommend placement of a dental implant to provide further support for the bridge depending on your needs.

Whether you are having a crown or bridge placed, the preparation process is basically the same. First, Drs. Mitchell and Schneider will evaluate your oral health so they can decide which type of restoration is most appropriate. We then take impressions that are sent to a top dental lab, where your restoration will be custom-crafted. When you return for your next visit, we adjust the restoration if necessary to ensure a perfect fit and a fully-functioning tooth.

Why is Replacing a Missing Tooth so Important?

A gap in your smile isn't just cosmetic. Over time, neighboring teeth begin to drift and tilt into the empty space, altering your bite and making them harder to clean. The jawbone beneath the gap also gradually recedes without a tooth root to stimulate it — which can affect the structure of your face and limit future treatment options. A bridge prevents all of this while restoring your full smile.

Depending on your situation, Drs. Mitchell and Schneider may also recommend a dental implant to provide additional support beneath the bridge. They'll evaluate your bone structure and overall oral health and walk you through which approach makes the most sense.

Meet Our Doctor:

Dr. Steven Mitchell DDS

Dr. Mitchell attended Florida State University and the University of Notre Dame for his undergraduate education and obtained his dental training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the University of Memphis. He also has extensive postgraduate education, specifically selecting courses focusing on oral surgery and dental implants.

His most recent training in full-mouth rehabilitation allows him to provide smile makeovers to his patients for confident, healthy, beautiful smiles. His commitment to lifelong education means he is constantly evaluating emerging dental methods and technologies in order to provide …

What to Expect During Treatment

Crown and bridge placement follows the same basic process and typically takes two appointments:

Appointment 1: Preparation

The tooth receiving a crown (or the teeth anchoring a bridge) is gently shaped to make room for the restoration. Drs. Mitchell and Schneider take a precise impression that is sent to a top dental lab, where your custom restoration is fabricated. A temporary crown or bridge is placed to protect the area while your permanent restoration is being made — usually about one to two weeks.

Appointment 2: Placement

When your permanent restoration arrives, we check the fit, bite alignment, and shade before cementing it permanently in place. Most patients leave this appointment with a comfortable, fully functioning tooth.

Some sensitivity for a few days after placement is normal and resolves quickly. Most patients return to normal eating and activity the same day.

Ready to Restore Your Smile? We're Here to Help

Drs. Mitchell and Schneider at Summit Dental Group provide custom, natural-looking crowns and bridges for patients across Dillon and Summit County. Whether you have a freshly cracked tooth or have been living with a gap for years — reach out. We'll give you an honest evaluation and a clear path forward.

Timely, Detail-Oriented Crown Work in Dillon, CO

Everything was done in a timely manner and staff very friendly and professional and attention to detail of my crown.

- Cindy K.

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