Dental crowns are a popular restorative procedure for patients who need full coverage. Your choice of crown is important because it will affect the aesthetics of your smile as well as your ability to use your teeth as normal. There are three types of crowns commonly used, and this article discusses some of their upsides and downsides to help you make a decision if you're facing dental restoration.
1. Zirconia crowns
Zirconia is a crystalline metallic substance, and it is loved for its durability compared with other crowning options. In addition, dentists like zirconia crowns as they require less time in fabrication which in turn makes it cheaper for the patients. With digital tooth impressions, fabrication lab time can be greatly reduced, and these time savings trickle down to faster and cheaper service for patients. Zirconia crowns have favourable soft tissue response and are fairly resistant to bacterial colonisation and infections.
The major disadvantage with these crowns comes with the final colour of the crowns, which is sometimes whiter and more solid (opaque) than the patient's natural tooth colour. This is usually solved by using zirconia in restoration of premolars and molars, which need the additional strength for chewing food and have less impact on the aesthetics of the patient's smile. They are excellent choices for tooth clenching or grinding patients who find mouth guards difficult to wear.
2. Porcelain crowns
Dental porcelain is a broad name that is given to the body-safe ceramic material often used in building crowns and bridges. It is popularly used for anterior tooth restoration because its translucent property closely resembles the natural tooth enamel, meaning colour can be tweaked to match the colour of your smile.
Porcelain crowns present two major disadvantages: the crown requires specialised skill, particularly for anterior placement. This means that the service is likely to be expensive, considering the cost of the crown itself as well. Second, they are more prone to breaking and cracking, a drawback often overcome by fusing porcelain with a stronger material, such as zirconia or stainless steel.
3. Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns
These crowns offer some compromise between the aforementioned options. These crowns have an outer porcelain shell to match the colour of natural teeth, built over stronger metal base. This allows patients to reap the benefits of both aesthetic appeal and strong teeth, and it is the go-to options for most dentists and patients for full-coverage restoration.
Talk to your dentist about the best option for you.
Share