All About Dental Crowns
Pasha Nasirzadeh DDS.
Clinical Instructor at University of Toronto, Faculty of Dentistry
Quick quiz: What’s a crown?
- A cool hat that some people wear to show off their sovereignty
- A porcelain or metal cover for a weakened or missing tooth
The answer is both, but since this is an article by a dentist, you can guess which type of crown we’ll cover here. And for the record, I have a few cool hats too; they just aren’t gem-encrusted or made of gold.
A dental crown is a porcelain or metal fitting that covers a damaged or missing tooth. As well as matching up with existing teeth, a crown provides strength for the tooth it covers, and protects it from further damage.
A dental crown is often the solution after a root canal, a large filling, or a broken tooth. A crown can also be fitted onto a dental implant as a replacement for a missing tooth.
Types of Dental Crowns
Different materials may be used to build and shape a crown depending on the location in the mouth of the missing tooth.
Metal Crowns are made of gold; they’re about the most traditional fitting you can find in modern dentistry. Metal crowns won’t chip or break, and tend not to wear down opposing natural teeth (the ones on the opposite side of the jaw). The only drawback is that gold looks unnatural, particularly on the front teeth (unless that’s the look you’re going for!).
Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal Crowns look natural and are stronger than porcelain and other composite crowns. Chipping is minimal, but depending on the design, it can be hard to get them to look right.
As mentioned, Porcelain Crowns look most like natural teeth. Improvements in technology mean their strength is on par with Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal crowns. Of the three options, porcelain crowns are by far the most flexible when it comes to matching tooth colours and shades.
Dental Crowns - Keeping it Natural
Like it or not, many people end up with a crown that’s visible in their smile. Dentists set and colour dental crowns to look as natural as possible: the restoration should be virtually unnoticeable.
Often when people think of cosmetic crowns many people think of bright, white replacements. This idea falls down when you consider natural stains and blemishes on most people’s teeth. Have a look at these before and after examples of crowns placed on front teeth. ( Click Here to see images and to read the rest of the article)