A dental crown is simply a false tooth that is placed over a natural tooth that has been ground down to fit it. For this reason it’s sometimes called a cap.
They’re often placed after a root canal treatment to protect the natural tooth structure, which can become brittle. Or, when your tooth decay is pervasive enough that a filling won’t be sufficient.
Why a Zirconia Crown?
Until recently, your only option for natural looking crowns was a porcelain crown. While great on front teeth, they’re not strong enough to withstand the biting forces on back teeth. Because of that many dentists preferred to place porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. Those don’t look natural and always develop a gray line at the gumline.
Porcleain-fused-to-metal crowns
Non metal-based porcelain crowns
Zirconia is a newer material now being used in dental crowns and bridges. Sometimes called ceramic steel, because of its strength, it can be used on both front and back teeth. Zirconia crowns have two big advantages:
- They can be made as beautiful and natural looking as all-porcelain while retaining enough strength for your full biting force.
- They’re very biocompatible and contain no metal, which eliminates almost all allergy issues.
If you think you’re in need of a crown and want to avoid common metal-based options, you may give our office a call to schedule a visit or click here to request an appointment online.