Dental crowns play a pivotal role in restorative dentistry, offering both functional and aesthetic solutions to damaged or decayed teeth. They act as protective caps, fully encompassing the visible part of a tooth above the gum line, restoring its shape, size, and strength and improving its appearance. With advancements in dental technologies and materials, several types of dental crowns are available, each offering unique benefits. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of these options to help you make informed decisions regarding your dental health.
Types of Dental Crowns
Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM) Crowns
PFM crowns offer a blend of metal's durability and porcelain's aesthetic charm, which is a favored option among patients. The metal base ensures robustness, which is ideal for restoring rear teeth that withstand significant chewing forces. Yet, occasional chipping or breakage of the porcelain layer may occur, potentially revealing the underlying metal near the gum line with time.
All-Ceramic or All-Porcelain Crowns
These crowns offer the best natural color match compared to other types, making them the preferred option for front teeth restorations. All-ceramic or all-porcelain crowns are ideal for people with metal allergies and those prioritizing a more natural appearance. While they are highly aesthetic, they may not be as strong as PFM crowns and could wear down the teeth opposite them in the mouth more than metal or resin crowns.
Gold Crowns
Gold crowns are known for their durability and compatibility with the body, making them an excellent choice for individuals looking for longevity in their dental restorations. They are less likely to break or chip than porcelain crowns and cause minimal wear to opposing teeth. However, their metallic color is the main reason patients may choose other types for visible teeth, reserving gold crowns for out-of-sight molars.
Stainless Steel Crowns
Primarily used as a temporary measure on permanent teeth, stainless steel crowns are pre-fabricated and used to protect a tooth or filling while a permanent crown is made from another material. They are commonly used in pediatric dentistry to fit over a child's primary tooth that's been prepared to fit it and are lost naturally when the primary tooth comes out to make room for the permanent tooth.
Resin Crowns
Resin dental crowns are a more cost-effective option compared to other types. They are made from composite resin and can be color-matched to your natural teeth. While resin crowns are aesthetically pleasing and less expensive, they are also less durable than other types of crowns, making them more susceptible to fractures and wear over time.
Contact a dental clinic like Stillwater Dental Associates to learn more.
Our oral surgery and general dental website offers important information on how to prevent dry socket following a tooth extraction. After getting your tooth pulled, a protective blood clot develops over the extraction site. Many of our blog posts explain how this protective clot helps promote healing after an extraction.
You'll learn that if the clot is accidentally dislodged, dry socket may occur, which can raise your risk for infection and heavy bleeding. We'll provide you with important tips on how to prevent this by avoiding smoking and drinking through a straw. You'll also learn that swishing water around your mouth should be avoided for a couple of days following your extraction because doing so creates a suction that may dislodge your clot, leading to dry socket.