What type of Dental crown?

Dental crowns (also known as "dental caps" )can be made from metal (gold or other metal alloys), ceramic materials (such as porcelain), or a combination of both. The advantages and disadvantages of each of these various types of dental crowns, but in general you should rely on your dentist's judgment and advice as to which of these types of crowns would be most appropriate for your situation.

All metal dental crowns. / “Gold” dental crowns.

Some dental crowns are made entirely of metal. The classic metal dental crown is one made of gold, or more precisely a gold alloy. Over the decades a variety of different metal alloys have been used in making dental crowns. Some of these metals are silver in color rather than yellow like gold.

Having a gold dental crown made can be an excellent choice. Here are some reasons why:

1. Dentists find gold to be a very workable metal. This characteristic helps a dentist to be able to achieve a very precise fit with the crown.
2. Since they are metal through and through, gold crowns withstand biting and chewing forces well. They will not chip and last longer. Although they are very strong, the wear rate of a gold crown is about the same as tooth enamel.
3. Metal dental crowns are usually placed on those teeth that are not overly visible when a person smiles (i.e., molars). Dental crowns that will show prominently when you smile usually made of porcelain(dental ceramic) or else will have a veneer of porcelain on their surface(like porcelain-fused –to- metal crowns),so they have a white color like the rest of your teeth.

All –porcelain crowns

Some dental crowns are fabricated in a manner where their full thickness is porcelain (dental ceramic). These crowns can possess a translucency that makes them the most cosmetically pleasing of all of the different types of dental crowns.

Although they can be very life like in appearance, the overall strength of all-porcelain dental crowns is less than other types of crowns. While they can be a good choice for front teeth. All -porcelain dental crowns may not be the best choice for back teeth.

Porcelain-fused-to- metal crowns

Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns are somewhat of a hybrid between metal crowns and porcelain crowns. The dental technician first makes a shell of metal that fits over the tooth. A veneering of porcelain is then fused over this metal (in a high heat oven), giving the crown a white tooth-like appearance. Depending on the requirements of your situation, these crowns are sometimes made where the porcelain veneer only covers those aspects of the crown that is readily visible (meaning the other portions of the crown have a metal surface). In other cases these crowns are pretty much fully surfaced with porcelain.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns can be a good choice for either front or back teeth. These crowns are strong enough to withstand heavy biting pressures and at the same time can have an excellent cosmetic appearance. There are some disadvantages associated with porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns however (which no doubt your dentist will try to minimize as much as is possible).

They are:

1. The cosmetic appearance of these crowns can be excellent; they often are not as pleasing aesthetically as all-porcelain dental crowns.
2. The crown's porcelain can chip or break off.
3. The porcelain surface of the crown can create wear (sometimes this wear is significant) on those teeth that it bites against.
4. The metal that lies underneath a crown's porcelain layer can sometimes be visualized as a dark line found right at the crown's edge. A dentist will usually try to position this dark edge just underneath the tooth's gum line but if a person's gums recede this dark line can show, thus spoiling the crown's appearance

Dental crowns and temporary crowns:

Problems and complications:

Temporary dental crowns are usually cemented into place using "temporary" cement so they can be removed easily at the time of your next dental appointment. Because this cement is not as strong as other types of dental cement, your dentist will probably suggest to you that you take some precautions so not to dislodge your temporary crown. Some of the types of precautions your dentist might suggest are listed below. You will simply need to ask your dentist if any of these precautions (or any other precautions not listed here) are important and relevant to your specific situation.

1. Avoid chewing on the side of your mouth with temporary crown. There's no need to look for trouble, give the temporary dental crown some consideration when eating.
2. Avoid Anything sticky (caramel, chewing gum, etc...) has the potential to grab onto the temporary crown and pull it off its tooth.
3. Avoid chewing exceptionally hard foods, such as raw vegetables (carrots), can dislodge or break a temporary dental crown.
4. A tooth with a temporary dental crown can usually be brushed and flossed in normal fashion, with the following consideration. After flossing it may be best to remove the dental floss by way of letting loose of one end and then pulling it out to the side. Pulling the floss back out in normal fashion might snag the temporary crown and pull it off its tooth.