Choosing the Right Dental Crown: A Guide to Materials & Benefits

Crowns, also known as caps, cover a damaged tooth to strengthen it and improve its appearance. They are typically used to support large fillings or teeth that have had root canal therapy.

Some Crowns spring tx are made of porcelain and others of zirconia or metals such as gold or chromium. Porcelain crowns look most like natural teeth and are best for front teeth.

Bonded crowns

Dental bonding is a simple procedure that covers up minor chips, cracks, or discoloration in your teeth. Its main advantage is that it is affordable and natural-looking.

It involves painting a plastic coating over the tooth and curing it with high-intensity light. The result is a durable, bright smile. It is also a great way to improve your appearance and boost your self-esteem.

A crown is a tooth-shaped cap that completely encases a damaged or weakened tooth. The dentist needs to remove some organic tooth structure to make room for the crown. They may use a composite material or porcelain to make the crown match your natural teeth. Crowns are usually recommended for teeth with severe damage or after root canal treatment. Unlike bonding, crowns can withstand stronger bite forces and wear. They can also be used to reshape and straighten crooked teeth. They are also more attractive than natural teeth and can last a lifetime with proper care.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns

Porcelain fused to metal crowns (PFM crowns) are a hybrid type of dental crown that provides a balance between strength and esthetics. The porcelain component blends the shade of natural teeth, and the metal base provides superior strength compared to ceramic crowns. The metal can be gold, silver, a cobalt-chrome alloy, or nickel. Some patients may be sensitive to the metallic component of PFM crowns and might experience allergic reactions.

PFM Crowns spring tx have been used in dentistry for more than 35 years, as they offer good mechanical properties and satisfactory esthetic results. They also do not require the removal of a substantial amount of tooth structure like all-ceramic crowns do.

However, they are opaque to light, and the underlying metal substructure can cause a dark line along the gumline in some patients with thin or receding gums. Moreover, the porcelain can wear over time resulting in reduced esthetic qualities or bite alignment issues. However, a high-quality dentist and lab technician can produce outstanding esthetic results with these crowns.

Porcelain crowns

Porcelain crowns are a highly effective way to improve the health, strength, and appearance of damaged teeth. The caps bonded to the teeth strengthen them, while also improving their shape and size, and enhancing your smile. They are ideal for fixing broken or fractured teeth, large fillings, root filled teeth, and other cosmetic dentistry services.

Although crowns are strong and durable, they must be maintained and regularly examined for wear and tear. If they become chipped, they may need to be replaced completely. Small chips can usually be repaired with composite resin, while larger ones may require the replacement of the entire crown.

When selecting a dentist to apply porcelain crowns, you should look for one with extensive experience in aesthetic dental restorations. They should be members of professional dental associations, as this indicates their commitment to ongoing learning and adherence to high standards of care. You should also be aware that this treatment is irreversible, as a portion of the natural tooth will need to be removed during preparation.

Zirconia crowns

While zirconia crowns only recently made their debut, they have rapidly become popular due to their outstanding durability and esthetics. The advanced milling and sintering technology used to fabricate these restorations ensures that they have an accurate fit and require minimal preparation. The material disks are manufactured with a gradient layering process to achieve a chip-proof construction that wears at the same rate as natural enamel. Zirconia is also metal-free, preventing the darkening of gingival margins in thin biotypes and avoiding a “metal line” appearance at the gumline.

Zirconia’s opalescent quality also allows it to reflect light like a natural tooth, making these crowns more attractive and less noticeable. This quality of appearance makes them ideal for crowns in visible locations like the front teeth. They also have excellent biocompatibility, which eliminates the need for metal alloys used in PFM crowns, which can cause allergic reactions.