Hollywood Prosthodontic Dentist, USC Professor of Cosmetic Dentistry Discusses Bridge and Crown Work on Teeth in Need of Repair

Hollywood Prosthodontic Dentist

With more than 35 years worth of expert cosmetic dentistry serving the Hollywood and Los Angeles areas, and now practicing from his office in Westwood, CA, Beverly Hills prosthodontic dentist Parviz Azar-Mehr specializes in one of nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.

Dr. Azar-Mehr is certified by the American Board of Prosthodontics, which requires certifiable dentists to successfully complete a rigorous four-part test, alongside applicable coursework. There are no more than 800 dentists who carry this specialized certification, detailing not only the degree of difficulty in achieving this recognition, but also the exclusivity with which the board hands out this particular commendation.

“For many years,” says Hollywood Prosthodontic Dentist Dr. Parviz Azar-Mehr of the procedure of implementing a bridge or crown in order the repair or replace a tooth, “the fixed bridge was the gold standard when replacing a single tooth. It remains an important tooth replacement technique.”

To make a bridge, the dentist must reshape the abutment teeth, or the teeth to either side of the subject tooth, so that crowns may be made to cover them. A dental lab makes two crowns and what’s called a “pontic” in one piece. The dentist then cements or bonds the bridge to the abutment teeth. The bridge is made of porcelain alone or lined with metal.

“Fixed bridges are durable and long lasting,” says Azar-Mehr. “The advantages are that the bridge will not normally come out, and it will look and feel much like the original tooth.”

The disadvantage to this procedure is that if anything deconstructive or impacting happens to one of the abutments, the entire bridge may be lost. Also, reshaping a tooth to make it a bridge abutment makes it more likely to require root canal treatment, due to the filing and sanding down of enamel and bone more closely to the root of the tooth, and the inherent tooth decay that can come with it.

Replacing a single tooth with a fixed bridge may cost about the same using a dental implant.

“Though it can be a likely solution in the interim, the problem with installing a bridge is that these solutions are susceptible to breakage and damage, much more so than the process of drilling a post into the bone beneath the damaged tooth, and installing a new, more stable prosthodontic tooth,” admits the Los Angeles-based Prosthodontic Dentist Azar-Mehr.

“My recommendation will always be to go with the solution that offers the most dynamic sustainability, as well as a promise of some kind that the process of installing the prosthodontic implant was not entirely for naught.,” he concludes. “Even in the event of a broken implant, it’s still far easier to replace than the broken crown, due to the presence of the installed post, and no procedural damage to the other teeth.”

Visit the website of Dr. Parviz Azar-Mehr, Prosthodontic and Cosmetic Dentistry, for more information on tooth replacement and other prosthondontic dental implant procedures.