Everything You Need to Know About Dental Crowns

 


What are Dental Crowns?

Dental crowns are gold, silver, or metal caps that are placed on top of a damaged or chipped tooth to cover it and restore its natural function, size, strength, and improve its appearance.

They can protect the teeth and restore their shape when fillings fail to do so.

When Would You Need a Dental Crown?

  • When the tooth has an extremely large filling, bigger than the natural tooth structure.
  • A decayed tooth needs protection from breaking or parts of a cracked tooth need to be held together.
  • A dental bridge needs to be held in place
  • A root canal therapy is performed
  • There is a combination of root canal therapy and a large filling
  • A crown is needed for cosmetic reasons
  • One needs to cover discolored or misshapen teeth.

The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.

Usually placed after a root canal or a dental implant procedure, dental crowns are custom-made by dental technicians in a lab to make sure that they blend in with the patient’s natural teeth.

The decision of the best option is taken by a dentist after considering the following factors:

  • Tooth’s Location and function
  • Gum tissue and gum line’s position
  • The visibility of the tooth while smiling or speaking
  • Colors & shades of the surrounding teeth
  • The decision about the type of material to be used also depends on the signs of clenching or teeth grinding, if any

The other factors which may be put into consideration while choosing a crown are its cost, endurance & durability.

The dental specialists at Morgan Hill Dentistry discuss all the available options to help the patients to make the best-informed decision according to their needs.

What are Dental Crowns Made of?

The dental crowns can be made of different materials including:

Gold

The strength and durability of the Gold Crowns are considered to be their main advantage. They are made with a combination of copper and other metals, like nickel or chromium.

Owing to their endurance and durability, they can last a long time with proper care. However, their color and aesthetics don’t make them a very popular or common choice.

Metal

Several different types of metals used in dental crowns may include gold, palladium, nickel, and cobalt-chromium.

They last the longest as they have minimum wear down and rarely chip or break. Moreover, they require only a small amount of the tooth to be removed.

They can well endure the biting and chewing forces and are a viable choice for out-of-sight molars due to their metallic color.

Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal

These crowns can be easily matched to the color of the surrounding teeth owing to their almost natural color. However, the metal under the crown’s porcelain cap is sometimes visible as a dark line, and even more so in the case of the receding gums.

Also, there is a possibility of the chipping off of the crown’s porcelain portion. They are usually deemed to be a good option for front or back teeth and long bridges where the metal is sought for its strength.

All-Resin

These crowns are made out of resin and are normally less costly than other crown types. However, they wear down over time, becoming more inclined to breakage and chipping off as compared to the porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.

All-Ceramic or all-Porcelain

These types of crowns match the best natural teeth when compared to other crown types. These are also considered good options for patients with metal allergies.

Considered to be a good choice for front teeth, they are not as strong and durable as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.

Pressed Ceramic

These crowns process a hard inner core that replaces the metal liner utilized in making all-ceramic crowns. When capped with porcelain, they give the best natural color match. These are also more long-lasting than all-porcelain crowns.

Zirconia Crowns

Zirconia, one of the latest materials used to make crowns, incorporates the resilience of metal with the aesthetics of porcelain crowns to give you strong and long-lasting crowns.

As the Zirconia can be cut and shaped at the same dental office without sending them over to a dental lab, their process is less time-consuming. They also do not cause any allergic reactions as they are metal free.

It is imperative to mention that their strength can sometimes easily wear down the teeth they bite against.

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Location: Morgan Hill, CA, USA

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