In recent years, the popularity of all-ceramic crowns has grown tremendously due to their natural appearance and faster production. But are they a good option for you? Find out the most important facts about them and consider their pros and cons to make the right choice.
What they are
All-ceramic dental crowns work the same way as their traditional metal counterparts. These are caps that are applied over damaged teeth. In this way, damaged teeth regain their shape and function. The special thing about these special restorations is the material from which they are made. They are made of solid ceramic material. Currently, zirconia is the main type of ceramic material used for making dental restorations.
Make and adjust
Traditionally, these restorations are done in laboratories. They are now mainly manufactured in dental offices using CAD/CAM technology. This technology is based on 3D design and printing. It is used to make crowns and other restorations from blocks of zirconia material.
After the original tooth is cleaned, reshaped and sharpened, an impression of the teeth is taken. The impression is used to do the restoration. The restoration is then placed on the prepared tooth.
Pros and cons
The main advantage of all-ceramic dental crowns is their natural appearance. They look like real teeth and can give you a beautiful smile. They are lighter than their traditional counterparts and this contributes to patient comfort. Restorations made of this material are perfectly biocompatible. Gums can grow around them and keep them in place even better. The material cannot cause an allergic reaction.
The most widely used CAD/CAM technology has made it possible to fabricate and install all-ceramic restorations more quickly. They are manufactured in-house and this significantly reduces the time between the first tooth preparation procedure and the placement of the crown. This reduces the need for temporary crown placement and additional treatments. At the same time, innovative technology to produce the best-fitting restoration must be operated by a highly trained and experienced professional with excellent technical skills.
All-ceramic restorations are considered to be less strong and durable, especially when compared to their metal counterparts. This perception has changed as better materials and more advanced technologies are used to make these crowns. They have longer lives.
In general, all-ceramic dental crowns are a good choice, as long as they are fabricated from a strong and durable material by an experienced professional.
A dental crown is an adjustable tooth-shaped cap that is placed over the tooth for a cosmetic enhancement or to protect the tooth. The primary purposes of dental crowns are to help restore tooth strength, size, and shape. The crown completely encloses the visible part of the tooth that is above the jawline.
When do I need a crown?
There are several situations where a crown is needed. With the help of your dentist, it could be the following reasons:
To restore the structure of a broken tooth or a worn tooth
To fill the cavities in a rotten tooth
Place over a dental implant
To improve the appearance of cosmetic adjustments.
To cover discolored or misshapen teeth
types of crowns
The types of crowns available can be all metal, stainless steel, all resin, porcelain fused to metal, or all ceramic dental crowns. The best option for your tooth will depend on your choice as well as the advice of your dentist.
Metal
Metals used to make dental crowns include gold alloys, other metal alloys, and base metal alloys such as nickel. The amount of tooth that needs to be extracted to place the metal crown is less compared to other types of crowns. They are loved for their tolerance of wear and tear, which makes them last longer, and their ability to resist biting and chewing. The main disadvantage of metal crowns is their color. They are usually used on molars.
Stainless steel
This is the second type of crowns that can be worn on teeth. However, they are usually worn temporarily on the teeth when a more permanent crown is made with other materials. In children, stainless steel crowns are often used on baby teeth to protect them from further decay. When the primary tooth falls out to make room for the permanent tooth, the crown naturally falls out with it.
All resin
These crowns are known to be cheaper than most other crowns. However, they tend to deteriorate with use and time. Fractures are common with these types of crowns.
All porcelain
Like all-ceramic crowns, all-ceramic dental crowns are preferred for their natural color match. Also, these crowns are the best choice for people who are allergic to metals. The downside is that these crowns tend to wear down opposing teeth more than metal and resin crowns. Experts recommend all-ceramic crowns for front teeth.
There are essentially two steps to preparing your tooth for a crown. The first involves an x-ray of the tooth to check if the entire procedure affects the root or the surrounding teeth. If the procedure is unsuccessful, the dentist will use anesthesia to numb the tooth before adjusting the tooth to accommodate the crown. The final step is the cementation of a permanent crown made on the tooth in question in the dental laboratory.
Has your dentist recommended that you wear crowns to restore the shape, size, strength or appearance of your teeth and have you wondered, “What are they?” Essentially, a crown is a type of restoration that covers or completely covers a damaged tooth or dental implant. In general, crowns are the treatment of choice when a large cavity poses a significant risk to the health of your tooth. Because they completely enclose the visible part of your tooth, they provide excellent protection for weak teeth.
Why crowns?
There are several reasons why your dentist will recommend this type of treatment. Dental crowns are:
Protect weak teeth from cavities or breakage.
Keep cracked teeth together.
Restore the appearance of broken or worn teeth.
Cover and support teeth with large fillings, especially if there is not much tooth left.
Dental bridge support.
Restore deformed or discolored teeth.
It can cover an implant.
Different types of
Permanent crowns are generally made from one of four materials: metal, porcelain fused to metal, resin, or ceramic.
Metal
Crowns made of metals may contain a gold alloy, other alloys such as palladium, or a base metal alloy such as nickel. When you use metal, your dentist or orthodontist needs less tooth structure to properly fit the crowns. Also, metal crowns are less likely to have opposing teeth. Because metal crowns are highly resistant to biting and chewing, as well as providing the best long-term solution, they are a popular treatment option. Unfortunately, the metallic color makes metal crowns look less natural, so some patients prefer an alternative type of crown. Still, these crowns are an excellent treatment for dorsal molars.
Porcelain fused to metal
The main advantage of porcelain-on-metal crowns is that they can be matched to the color of your natural teeth. Alternatively, unlike metal, porcelain crowns are more susceptible to chewing wear and cause more wear on opposing teeth. Porcelain also cracks or breaks much more easily than metal crowns, so they have a shorter life.
Resin
Resin crowns are the cheapest type of crown, but they tend to wear down over time and are more likely to break than porcelain or metal crowns.
Ceramics
Finally, ceramic crowns offer excellent color matching as they can be matched to the color of your natural teeth and even with other crowns, they also offer more durability than resin crowns. Of course, metal crowns are still the strongest and most resistant to damage, but ceramic crowns are an aesthetically good choice for front teeth.