A dental crown is a tooth-shaped "cap" that is placed over a tooth, in other words cover the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength and improve its appearance.
The crowns, when cemented into place, fully cover the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line. Why is a Dental Crown Needed?
Dental crown is needed in the following situations:
• To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
• To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
• To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't a lot of tooth left
• To hold a dental bridge in place
• To cover misshaped or severely discolored teeth
• To cover a dental implant What Types of Crown Materials Are Available? Permanent crowns can be made from all metal: porcelain-fused-to-metal, all-resin or all-ceramic.
Metals used in crowns contain gold alloy, other alloys (palladium) or a base-metal alloy (nickel or chromium).Comparatively with other types of crowns, in metal crowns less tooth structure is removed and tooth wear to opposite teeth is kept to a minimum. Metal crowns resist biting and chewing forces well and almost certainly last the longest in terms of wear down. Moreover, they seldom chip or break. The metallic color is the main negative aspect. Largely, metal crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars. Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns, unlike the metallic crowns, can be matched by color to your nearby teeth. However, more wearing to the opposing teeth takes place with this crown type, compared with metal or resin crowns. The crown's porcelain section can also chip or break off. Next to all-ceramic crowns, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns look most resembling to normal teeth. Nevertheless, sometimes the metal underlying the crown's porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line and even more if your gums retreat. These crowns can be a good alternative for front or back teeth. All-resin dental crowns are less expensive than other crown types. Though, they wear down through the time and are more inclined to crack than porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. All-ceramic or all-porcelain dental crowns provide the best natural color match than any other crown type and may be more suitable for people with allergy for metal. However, they are not as strong as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns and they wear down opposing teeth a little more than metal or resin crowns. All-ceramic crowns are a good choice for front teeth. Temporary opposed to permanent crowns can be created in the office of your dentist at the same time as permanent crowns are completed in a dental laboratory. Temporary crowns are made of acrylic or stainless steel and can be used as a short-term reinstatement, while permanent crown in its turn is created in the dental laboratory.
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