Dental Crowns

What are Dental Crowns?

Why might I need crowns?

Benefits of the dental crowns?

•Strengthen teeth and improve function

•Rebuild broken, decayed, cracked and worn teeth

•Improve the aesthetic appearance of your teeth using shape, colour and alignment

•Protect teeth which are weakened and prone to cracked or fracture

1.Porcelain fused to metal crown
2.All ceramic (all porcelain) crown
3.Metal or gold crown

The material selected is determined by the clinical demands at hand; esthetic demands, strength requirements, material durability and restorative space available.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns provide for a strong, durable, and esthetic treatment option. One of the key factors for the esthetic and functional success of this type of crown is ensuring the preparation of the underlying tooth structure provides adequate space for the appropriate thickness of metal and porcelain facing.

Porcelain fused to metal dental crowns can be color matched to your adjacent teeth. However, more wearing to the opposing teeth occurs with this crown type compared with metal crowns. The crown's porcelain portion can also chip or break off.

However, the metal underlying the crown's porcelain can show the underlying metal or gold margin at the gum line as gums recede over time. These crowns can be a good choice for the back teeth.

All ceramic or all porcelain crowns are the best natural color match than any other crown type and may be more suitable for people with metal allergies. However, they are not as strong as porcelain fused to metal crowns and they wear down opposing teeth a little more than metal crowns. All-ceramic crowns are a good choice for front teeth.

Today, the predominant material choice for all-ceramic crowns is either zirconia, or aluminous materials. They provide a metal free esthetic option with a number of benefits.

All-ceramic materials continue to evolve in strength and durability, but caution should still be exercised for areas of the mouth requiring heavy function. Continuing research is exploring the significant vulnerabilities of the porcelain systems in such areas.

Metals used in crowns include gold alloy, other alloys (for example, palladium) or a base-metal alloy (for example, nickel or chromium). Compared with other crown types, less tooth structure needs to be removed with metal crowns, and tooth wear to opposing teeth is kept to a minimum. Also, they rarely chip or break. The metallic color is the main drawback. Metal crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars.

For gold crowns
Although not as popular a treatment choice for esthetic reasons, gold crowns are still indicated in some reasons. For example, patients with strong bites and those with parafunctional habits such as grinding or clenching might be better served with a gold crowns.

The gold material can provide stronger support to the remaining healthy tooth structure. Gold crowns offer a level of durability that is appropriate for teeth located in the back of teeth, where they will not be highly visible.

Gold crowns tend to offer greater longevity and require less preparation than all ceramic crowns and porcelain fused to metal crowns. When chewing, gold tends to be less abrasive to the opposing tooth than porcelain. This helps to prevent wearing of the teeth.