“What is the best material for dental crowns?”
I am a 41 year old female and I need 4 dental crowns. What is the best material for dental crowns?
6 Answers
The best material for crowns depends on the location. Dentists often prefer an all-metal gold alloy crown on the last tooth as these molars take twice the load of the molars in front. Front teeth look much better with all-porcelain crowns which decades ago were too weak to last a long time but are now very strong and highly resistant to fracture.
There are several types of crown material available nowadays. Have a discussion with your dentist on strength vs esthetics for each one.
Hi
There is no one material that is the best for crowns. It depends on the need for esthetics and/or strength. The best material as far as holding up over time is gold. It is not used often anymore because of cost and esthetics but it is still a proven and durable material. Of the tooth colored materials, zirconia appears to be the strongest but it is not as esthetic as other materials and has not been used yet over a long period of time. There are also different ceramic materials that can be employed. They also vary on strength and esthetics. For years porcelain fused to metal was the standard and is still often used but today there are many more choices. The bottom line is discuss these options with your dentist and have a reasonable understanding as to what is going to be done.
There is no one material that is the best for crowns. It depends on the need for esthetics and/or strength. The best material as far as holding up over time is gold. It is not used often anymore because of cost and esthetics but it is still a proven and durable material. Of the tooth colored materials, zirconia appears to be the strongest but it is not as esthetic as other materials and has not been used yet over a long period of time. There are also different ceramic materials that can be employed. They also vary on strength and esthetics. For years porcelain fused to metal was the standard and is still often used but today there are many more choices. The bottom line is discuss these options with your dentist and have a reasonable understanding as to what is going to be done.
Hello,
What a great question to be asking. Unfortunately, the answer is not so simple. The best type of material depends on a few different factors; strength, location, aesthetics, and price (remember the most expensive crown someone will pay for is the one that person does NOT need).
Crowns are typically thought of in 3 main categories; metal, porcelain, and zirconia. These three categories do have a good amount of overlap though.
Crowns can be made out of full metal. These crowns have shown to be the longest lasting crowns due to the properties of metal match the tooth the best. In fact, it has been noted in the dental industry that the only downside to an all metal crown is its color (this is a huge problem if the metal is gold, it is a front tooth and the person does not want to look like a pirate).
For a long time crowns were made out of porcelain laid on top of metal and was considered the gold standard. This was a good balance between the properties of metal and the aesthetics of the porcelain to make it look natural. The biggest issue with these crowns is that they can chip or the porcelain can come off and leave the metal color showing. At this point the crown would have to be replaced.
To improve on aesthetics all ceramic (full porcelain) crowns were made especially for front teeth. These typically have the best aesthetics but there is a sacrifice in strength. If these break they typically need to be replaced as well.
To improve on strength, zirconia crowns were made. These crowns are a ceramic crown but they have a very high strength. For a long time they were not very aesthetic as they were pure white. However, staining techniques have gotten really good and the aesthetics have improved greatly.
So if you have a tooth in the back a zirconia crown is something to consider as it is made of one piece and does not chip (unless you do not mind the look of metal). If it is a short tooth zirconia may not stay in the best though. If it is a front tooth, there is an aesthetic zirconia that looks quite nice but is not as strong as the full strength zirconia.
This is a lot of information and there is a lot more that can be said about the question, "which is the best crown". As a matter of fact, depending on the dentist, you will probably get different answers (for different reasons).
All-in-all, if you trust any particular dentist to prepare a crown a particular tooth, then it would be best to ask that dentist about these different options and trust his/her opinion on which crown is the best for you. After all, the choice of material is the least thing to worry about. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
What a great question to be asking. Unfortunately, the answer is not so simple. The best type of material depends on a few different factors; strength, location, aesthetics, and price (remember the most expensive crown someone will pay for is the one that person does NOT need).
Crowns are typically thought of in 3 main categories; metal, porcelain, and zirconia. These three categories do have a good amount of overlap though.
Crowns can be made out of full metal. These crowns have shown to be the longest lasting crowns due to the properties of metal match the tooth the best. In fact, it has been noted in the dental industry that the only downside to an all metal crown is its color (this is a huge problem if the metal is gold, it is a front tooth and the person does not want to look like a pirate).
For a long time crowns were made out of porcelain laid on top of metal and was considered the gold standard. This was a good balance between the properties of metal and the aesthetics of the porcelain to make it look natural. The biggest issue with these crowns is that they can chip or the porcelain can come off and leave the metal color showing. At this point the crown would have to be replaced.
To improve on aesthetics all ceramic (full porcelain) crowns were made especially for front teeth. These typically have the best aesthetics but there is a sacrifice in strength. If these break they typically need to be replaced as well.
To improve on strength, zirconia crowns were made. These crowns are a ceramic crown but they have a very high strength. For a long time they were not very aesthetic as they were pure white. However, staining techniques have gotten really good and the aesthetics have improved greatly.
So if you have a tooth in the back a zirconia crown is something to consider as it is made of one piece and does not chip (unless you do not mind the look of metal). If it is a short tooth zirconia may not stay in the best though. If it is a front tooth, there is an aesthetic zirconia that looks quite nice but is not as strong as the full strength zirconia.
This is a lot of information and there is a lot more that can be said about the question, "which is the best crown". As a matter of fact, depending on the dentist, you will probably get different answers (for different reasons).
All-in-all, if you trust any particular dentist to prepare a crown a particular tooth, then it would be best to ask that dentist about these different options and trust his/her opinion on which crown is the best for you. After all, the choice of material is the least thing to worry about. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Gold.
Cubic zirconia. Sometimes gold, but it's not very pretty.
