Dental Crowns
Dental Crowns are needed when teeth are compromised due to loss of structure because of tooth decay and/or trauma. This damage makes the remaining natural structure inadequate to sustain the pressure from daily function.
The materials being utilized to replace missing tooth structure have evolved from the use of gold alloys to dental ceramics. Improvements in dental crowns have allowed dentists to replace missing structure with materials that are as close to our natural structure as possible or even better in terms of strength.
The traditional dental crown is typically made of entirely metal alloy or porcelain baked on a metal substructure. Metal is strong but considered less esthetically pleasing than porcelain. A porcelain fused to metal crown is one that addresses some esthetic demands of being tooth-coloured but the edges (margins) of these crowns often show black or grey lines when there is gum recession (which is a due to aging) or if the crown margin is not placed close enough or below the gum line. This type of crowns may not be as translucent as the clinical case demands especially in younger patients when their teeth are typically more translucent as compared with older patients. Basically the metal substructure prevents light from passing through the crown and thus increases the amount of light reflection creating a dull looking tooth.
In addition, there are also concerns with metal allergies in certain patients, so a crown made entirely of metal or partially of metal is not suitable in these cases. In recent years all ceramic systems such as Empress and E.Max are very popular amongst dentists who aim to address the short comings of the traditional crowns. Recently zirconia crowns, which are made of an alloy of ceramic and metal, have gained momentum as they are not only tooth-coloured, they are very strong. Allergy to zirconia is rare. The choice of materials depends on the clinical demands of each case and needs to be carefully determined by your dentist to suit your needs.
The materials being utilized to replace missing tooth structure have evolved from the use of gold alloys to dental ceramics. Improvements in dental crowns have allowed dentists to replace missing structure with materials that are as close to our natural structure as possible or even better in terms of strength.
The traditional dental crown is typically made of entirely metal alloy or porcelain baked on a metal substructure. Metal is strong but considered less esthetically pleasing than porcelain. A porcelain fused to metal crown is one that addresses some esthetic demands of being tooth-coloured but the edges (margins) of these crowns often show black or grey lines when there is gum recession (which is a due to aging) or if the crown margin is not placed close enough or below the gum line. This type of crowns may not be as translucent as the clinical case demands especially in younger patients when their teeth are typically more translucent as compared with older patients. Basically the metal substructure prevents light from passing through the crown and thus increases the amount of light reflection creating a dull looking tooth.
In addition, there are also concerns with metal allergies in certain patients, so a crown made entirely of metal or partially of metal is not suitable in these cases. In recent years all ceramic systems such as Empress and E.Max are very popular amongst dentists who aim to address the short comings of the traditional crowns. Recently zirconia crowns, which are made of an alloy of ceramic and metal, have gained momentum as they are not only tooth-coloured, they are very strong. Allergy to zirconia is rare. The choice of materials depends on the clinical demands of each case and needs to be carefully determined by your dentist to suit your needs.