Dental implants have attained a level of higher recognition in the field of dental surgery nowadays. For the replacement of injured and missing tooth, this procedure is really benefiting numerous patients worldwide. Dental implantation involves positioning a titanium frame or a post beneath a person’s gum, so that the dentist can mount the replacement tooth position wise into the frame thereby providing a stable support to the patient for his artificial teeth.
Now, this process of dental implantation is done by a dentist in such a way so that the artificial tooth looks alike as actual ones. Thus dental crown is a vital part of this technique. It is basically a tooth-shaped cap which is put over a tooth that is going to be implanted or repaired. A dental crown is only recommended by a dentist when the extent of Dental decay is really high and can’t be restored in any way except dental implantation.
Here enlisted are the various types of dental crowns that are used by the best implantologists in Kolkata for treatment of dental decays.
How a dental crown functions?
Apart from making the artificial tooth look alike to the natural tooth, it replaces defective fillings, fractured and decayed tooth and also supports artificial tooth as a dental bridge.
Dental crowns can be either temporary or permanent. Permanent crowns include all metals, all ceramic, porcelain fused to metal, stainless steel and all resin. Temporary crowns are made in the offices of dentists whereas permanent crowns are made in dentist laboratory. Temporary crowns are usually composed of acrylic materials.
Types of dental crowns
1. All metal
Mental crowns comprise of metals like gold and silver dental alloys. They are very long lasting and have great strength. Gold alloy is considered to be a classic option in metal-dental-crowns.
Advantages and disadvantages of the metal crowns-
- They are strong enough to withstand the hardest and the heaviest biting and these are very much durable.
- The erosion rate of the metal crown is similar to tooth enamel and thus friction of biting between teeth doesn’t create excessive wear and tear.
- It is easier for a dentist to work with a metal crown especially the gold crown.
In spite of all these advantages, the only disadvantage that is has is that it is completely different from the natural teeth and thus it makes a little awkward presence for some patient to opt for these metal crowns.
2. Stainless steel crowns
These are also strong crowns having a smooth finish enabling the patient to clean easily and it lasts for more than four years. This crown is a great alternative for silver and tooth colored fillings.
Advantages and disadvantages of metal crowns-
- Unlike metal alloys like gold and silver, it is also very strong and durable.
- It is less expensive than metal crowns.
- It is very easy for contouring and trimming and gets adapted to occlusion.
- It is placed really fast in case of dental implantation.
- It involves less risk to moisture and hemorrhage.
The disadvantages include greater and induced risks to allergies and poor aesthetics.
3. Porcelain fused to metal (PFM)
It is a hybrid construction technique as it includes a metal substructure embedded within a porcelain covering. The latest generations of these crowns include pressed-over-metal (POM) and pressed-on-metal.
Advantages and disadvantages of PFM
- They are strong and durable.
- It completely appears as natural looking.
The disadvantages of this crown are that it sometimes shows a presence of “dark line” as the metal lies just beneath the porcelain surface of the crown, the metal substructure can look a bit unnatural sometimes and thus attaining a superior aesthetics can be challenging and it has probability to erode opposing teeth.
All ceramic dental crowns
People with metal allergies are suggested by the dentist to have these dental crowns. These are used in implantation of front and back teeth. It also provides better resemblance to natural tooth color. Sometimes due to different shade level of translucency, the restoration can look unnatural but nowadays, crown portions are not readily visible in ceramic capping and they have better natural looking properties which don’t create any difficult issue with layering of porcelain.
The strongest and the most durable form of this ceramic capping is monolithic construction in which uniform piece of ceramic is used for dental crowns.
Advantages and disadvantages of All-Ceramic-Dental-Crowns
- Due to the translucent structure of porcelain, it appears to be the same as the natural tooth and thus many patients opt for this for restoring their front teeth.
The disadvantages include less durability and strength.
4. All- Resin Dental crown
It is the cheapest dental crown used in dental implantation. These are made up of plastics or resins. It wears away very easily and gets stained often. It is not at all durable and wears off fast.
5. Zirconia Crown
Zirconia or Zirconium crowns are made of the hardest known ceramic in Industry It is also one of the strongest materials used in Dentistry. Today it is the most preferred material when it comes to preparing crowns.
Advantages and disadvantages of Zirconia crowns
- The crowns are completely natural looking and offer great aesthetic appearance.
- These are very strong and can be modified in any size and shape and sits well with the natural teeth.