When a tooth is cracked, significantly decayed, or missing entirely, a crown or bridge is often the most reliable way to restore it to full function. Dr. Archana M. Johnson has been placing crowns and bridges for patients across Olney and Montgomery County for 17 years.
Crowns and bridges are durable restorative treatments used to repair damaged teeth and replace missing ones. A crown restores the strength, function, and appearance of a weakened tooth, while a bridge fills the gap left by one or more missing teeth by anchoring to the neighboring teeth.
Before treatment, Dr. Johnson uses digital X-rays and, when needed, panoramic imaging to evaluate your teeth, roots, and supporting bone. This thorough evaluation helps ensure your restoration is built on a healthy foundation and designed for long-term success.
We proudly care for patients from Olney, Sandy Spring, Brookeville, Ashton, and throughout Montgomery County. Whether you have a cracked tooth, a failing restoration, or a missing tooth, Dr. Johnson will explain your treatment options and help you choose the solution that’s right for you.
A crown requires two appointments in most cases. At the first, Dr. Johnson prepares the tooth by removing a small, precise amount of outer structure so the crown will fit over it securely. An impression of the prepared tooth is taken using our intraoral scanner, which captures a highly accurate digital model without traditional impression material. That scan is sent to the dental lab, and a temporary crown goes on the tooth while the permanent one is fabricated. The second appointment is typically a shorter visit: the temporary comes off, fit and bite are confirmed, and the permanent crown is cemented in place.
The materials used for the crown depend on the location of the tooth and your own priorities. Porcelain and ceramic options match the surrounding teeth closely and work well for front teeth where appearance matters most. Back teeth that take on heavier chewing load often benefit from porcelain-fused-to-metal or full-zirconia crowns, which are built to handle that stress over the long term. Dr. Johnson will recommend a material based on the clinical picture, not on what happens to be the most convenient option for the lab.
Most patients find the procedure straightforward. Local anesthesia is used during the preparation appointment, and the area stays comfortable throughout. There is usually some sensitivity between the two visits while the temporary is in place, but that resolves once the permanent crown is seated. If you have questions about what to expect at either appointment, the team will walk you through it before you sit down in the chair.
A dental bridge is a fixed restoration, meaning it stays in your mouth rather than coming in and out like a removable partial denture. The replacement tooth, called a pontic, is fused to two crowns on either side. Those crowns are placed over the adjacent natural teeth, locking the whole structure in place. Once cemented, a bridge looks and functions like a continuous row of teeth. Patients often notice a significant difference in how they chew and speak within a few days of the final placement. Bridges are a practical choice when the teeth on either side of the gap are already damaged or restored with large fillings, since those teeth will benefit from the crowns that anchor the bridge anyway. If the neighboring teeth are fully intact and healthy, a single-tooth implant may be worth considering instead, since it preserves those teeth and provides an independent root in the bone.
Dr. Johnson is direct about this distinction. She will tell you when a bridge makes sense clinically and when it would be worth discussing implants as an alternative. Bridges require the same oral hygiene commitment as natural teeth, plus attention to cleaning underneath the pontic. Floss threaders or a water flosser help keep that area clear. With consistent care and routine check-ups, a well-placed bridge can hold up reliably for well over a decade. The relationships here are long, and Dr. Johnson will be tracking the restoration at every recall visit to catch any changes early.
Every crown or bridge begins with a comprehensive exam and digital X-rays to evaluate the health of the tooth and surrounding bone. If you’re experiencing pain or a damaged tooth, we’ll identify any underlying issues before treatment begins.
We use a digital intraoral scanner to capture precise impressions without the mess or discomfort of traditional molds. A temporary crown is placed while your custom restoration is being fabricated, allowing you to eat and speak comfortably between appointments.
When your permanent crown or bridge is ready, Dr. Johnson carefully checks the fit, bite, and appearance before placing it. You’ll leave with a durable, natural-looking restoration and instructions on how to care for it for years to come.
Most PPO dental insurance plans include some coverage for crowns and bridges under their major restorative benefits. The typical structure is a percentage-based benefit, often 50 percent after the deductible, up to your plan’s annual maximum. What that means in real terms varies by plan, so the front desk reviews your specific benefits before treatment begins so you know what to expect. We take most major PPO plans in-network or out-of-network. If you want to understand how your particular plan applies to a crown or bridge, call us and we will look it up with you.
The cost of a crown or bridge at Advanced Cosmetic and Family Dentistry of Olney depends on the material selected, the number of units in a bridge, and the complexity of the preparation. A single crown and a three-unit bridge are priced differently, and some materials carry a higher lab fee. These details are laid out in a written treatment estimate before any work starts. We would rather you ask about cost up front than be surprised at checkout.
For patients whose out-of-pocket portion is more than they want to pay at once, we offer financing through Sunbit. Sunbit lets you break the balance into manageable monthly payments, which makes it easier to move forward with a restoration your tooth actually needs rather than putting it off.
A tooth that is cracked but not yet painful, or a gap that has been there for a year without causing obvious trouble, can be easy to deprioritize. The clinical reality is that both situations tend to get more complicated with time. A crack that goes untreated can propagate to the point where extraction becomes the only option. A missing tooth left unrestored allows neighboring teeth to shift and bone to resorb in the gap, which changes what restoration options are available later and often raises the cost and complexity of treatment. A crown or bridge placed at the right time addresses the problem while the solution is still straightforward.
Dr. Johnson has been practicing restorative dentistry in Olney for 17 years, which means she has seen how these situations develop over time in real patients. That continuity matters. She knows when a tooth is worth restoring aggressively and when watchful waiting makes sense, because she has the longitudinal record to make that call honestly. Patients coming from Sandy Spring, Brookeville, and Ashton have the same access to that history as patients who have been in the chair since the practice opened.
Crowns and bridges fit into the broader restorative and cosmetic work available under one roof at Advanced Cosmetic and Family Dentistry of Olney. If the same appointment reveals gum health concerns, the periodontics side of the practice handles that. If the restored tooth is part of a larger cosmetic plan involving veneers or full mouth reconstruction, those conversations happen with the same doctor who placed the crown. That kind of continuity keeps treatment coordinated and avoids the back-and-forth of managing multiple practices.
