2240 Grande Blvd SE Suite 101 Rio Rancho, NM 87124
Protecting Your Teeth and Restoring Your Smile
Keeping your natural teeth is typically the best way to maintain the health and beauty of your smile — but sometimes damage, chips, fractures, or severe decay make that difficult. When a tooth can no longer be adequately restored with a filling alone, or when one or more teeth are missing entirely, dental crowns and bridges offer a reliable, natural-looking solution.
At Fife Dental Care in Rio Rancho, NM, Dr. Fife provides custom-fabricated crowns and bridges that restore your teeth to full function and enhance the appearance of your smile at the same time. Whether you need to protect a single damaged tooth or replace one that's been lost, we'll help you find the right solution.
Book a Consultation
Difference Between Crowns and Bridges
While crowns and bridges are often mentioned together, they serve different purposes — though both are designed to restore function and appearance using natural-looking materials.
Dental Crowns
A dental crown is a custom-made cap that fits over the entire visible portion of a natural tooth. It is shaped to look and feel like a natural tooth and provides protection to the tooth it covers. Crowns are used to restore teeth that are cracked, broken, severely decayed, or structurally weakened — including teeth that have undergone root canal therapy. Before a crown can be placed, the natural tooth must be prepared, which may include treating bacterial infections and reducing the size of the tooth to ensure a proper fit.
Dental Bridges
A permanent dental bridge replaces one or more missing teeth using artificial teeth — called pontics — anchored in place by crowns placed on the surrounding natural teeth on either side of the gap. Unlike removable partial dentures, a bridge is fixed in place and functions like natural teeth. Bridges help maintain proper tooth alignment by preventing neighboring teeth from shifting into the empty space left by a missing tooth.
Benefits of Dental Crowns and Bridges
Dental crowns and bridges do more than restore the look of your smile — they play an important role in your long-term oral and overall health. Here is what they make possible:
- Chew properly and comfortably — stimulating the underlying bone tissue and preventing the bone density loss that can result from missing or non-functional teeth
- Eat a healthy, varied diet — including fresh fruits and vegetables that are difficult to manage with damaged or missing teeth
- Maintain proper alignment and bite — reducing the likelihood of developing TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder) and the jaw pain and headaches that come with it
- Protect weakened teeth from further damage, decay, and bacterial infection
- Enhance the appearance of your smile — porcelain crowns and bridges can be shade-matched to your natural teeth for a seamless, natural-looking result
Maintaining a healthy smile also helps you maintain an attractive one. Because the shade of porcelain can be selected to match your natural teeth, dental crowns and bridges can even improve the overall appearance of your smile. For the most uniform color, the shade of your crown or bridge should be selected after any professional teeth whitening you are planning.
What to Expect During Treatment
Getting a crown or bridge at Fife Dental Care typically involves two appointments:
First Appointment
Dr. Fife will prepare the tooth or teeth that will support the crown or bridge. This involves reshaping the tooth to create a proper fit, addressing any decay or infection present, and taking precise impressions of your teeth. A temporary crown or bridge is placed to protect the prepared teeth while your permanent restoration is being custom-fabricated at the dental lab.
Second Appointment
Once your permanent crown or bridge is ready, you return to have the temporary removed and the final restoration fitted, adjusted, and cemented in place. Dr. Fife will check your bite carefully to ensure everything feels comfortable and natural before you leave.
Natural-Looking Results That Last
At Fife Dental Care, we use high-quality porcelain and zirconia materials for our crowns and bridges — materials that closely mimic the translucency, color, and texture of natural tooth enamel. The result is a restoration that blends naturally with your surrounding teeth and is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. With proper care — regular brushing, flossing, and professional cleanings — dental crowns and bridges can last fifteen years or more. Dr. Fife will give you specific guidance on caring for your restoration to get the most out of it long-term.
Whether you need a crown to protect a damaged tooth or a bridge to replace one that's been lost, Dr. Fife can help you achieve your ideal smile in Rio Rancho — with honest, attentive care in a welcoming environment you'll feel comfortable in.
Book Your Consultation
Fife Dental Care is conveniently located in Rio Rancho, NM and welcomes patients from across the greater Albuquerque area, including Corrales, Bernalillo, Paradise Hills, and surrounding communities.