Dental Crowns: Bringing Out The Best In Your Smile

Dentists cap teeth with dental crowns for a variety of reasons. These caps are sometimes used when a dentist wants to cover a tooth for health and functional reasons after a root canal. They are also sometimes used to cover teeth that have been chipped or broken, which would otherwise be subjected to the elements and lose some aesthetic appeal. They are designed to either be functional or purely cosmetic, although many of them do both quite efficiently. While there is not necessarily a set time range over which one of these caps should last, a nicely fitting application should last at least a decade with good care.

Porcelain

Without question, the most popular material used in the making of dental crowns is porcelain. It trumps other materials in popularity for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because they naturally blend in with the teeth so well. Those concerned about having their dental work obvious to onlookers will often opt for porcelain, knowing it will be difficult to distinguish from the other teeth. While aesthetically pleasing, however, porcelain is not the strongest material that can be used, which is why few dentists will recommend them for molars.

Metal

Many patients prefer metal dental crowns for their purposes. They are stronger than porcelain applications and most experts will point to them when a patient wants something that will last a long time. They can be made from gold or a number of other alloys. In addition to their increased strength, they have also been shown to cause less damage to the surrounding teeth, an important consideration when deciding which caps to go with. At the same time, however, metal looks like metal. It does not look like natural tooth enamel, so many patients do not go with this material, especially for highly visible teeth.

Combination

Seeing that patients preferred the aesthetic appeal of porcelain and the strength and durability of metal alloys, makers of dental crowns came up with fused combinations, giving patients the best of both worlds. These caps are made mostly of metal, but topped with color matching porcelain. Because of this topping, this combination crown is still not as strong as full metal applications, but it is a step up from those made exclusively of porcelain.

If you have a situation that could benefit from dental crowns, talk to your dentist and see if these caps could be the right solution for your problem.