What Are the Types of Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns fishers indiana are a cap or cover placed directly over weak or damaged teeth. All crowns serve the same purpose of protecting or restoring affected teeth, but the different materials each have their own potential benefits and drawbacks. When consulting with your dentist, he or she will be able to guide you through the process of selecting the appropriate material for your specific needs. Here is a quick guide laying out some of the various options for dental crowns.
Metal Alloy Crowns
Various types of metal are used to make dental crowns, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Gold has historically been the most common metal used to make crowns and today is usually an alloy of gold, copper, and other metals like nickel and chromium. Gold offers strength, durability, and resistance to abrasion. Additionally, gold wears down quite slowly, meaning its longevity is nearly unparalleled. The main drawback of gold teeth is that it is quite obviously not a tooth. While some other materials are able to be colored to blend in with surrounding teeth, gold stands out. Gold alloys may also affect some patients who are allergic or cause swelling in the gums around the crown. Gold can also be quite expensive.
Temporary crowns are typically prefabricated and often made of stainless steel.
All Porcelain Crowns
The most popular choice today is crowns made of all porcelain. Porcelain, a ceramic material, is naturally hard but brittle. It is usually used for front tooth restorations as it can be shaped and colored quite well to fit into the surrounding teeth. No metal is used in their manufacture, so they are nontoxic. The drawback of using porcelain is that it can wear down the natural teeth it comes into contact with during biting or chewing. Patients suffering from bruxism are not recommended to choose all porcelain. It is also important to take precautions during care as they can be damaged quite easily.
Porcelain Fused to Metal Crowns
A porcelain shell is fused to a metal core and then placed over the prepared tooth. The best thing about porcelain fused to metal crowns is that they offer advantages from both metal and all porcelain crowns. These crowns are both incredibly strong and durable and also aesthetically look like natural teeth. Unfortunately, crowns made of a combination of these materials also suffer from the disadvantages of crowns made of either. They can be too hard and brittle, and also show the little metallic collar around the gum. Fortunately, porcelain fused to metal is often a cheaper option.
All Resin Crowns
Synthetic resin is used for a number of dental procedures, from filling cavities to dental bonding. It can also be used to make a dental crown. All resin crowns are typically less expensive than other materials, and some dentists can even manufacture them the same day right in the office. The main disadvantage of all resin crowns is that they are prone to wear and tear and are at much higher risk of fracturing than gold or porcelain.