If you go to the dentist only for preventive examinations – you are a happy person! Most people sooner or later face the need for dental treatment, and then their prosthetics. Today there are many types of crowns. We will tell in this article about how they differ from each other and who needs them.
A crown is one of the types of restoration that covers the visible part of the tooth from all sides and is fixed with special cement. The crown covers the tooth from all sides and becomes its new surface, so it restores the original shape of the tooth.
The crown is used to cover or completely hide the damaged tooth. Crowns not only support a damaged tooth, they can also improve its appearance, shape, or closure. The crown can also be placed on the implant, and it will serve as a tooth, having its shape and structure. Porcelain crowns can be matched to the natural color of your teeth. There are other materials, such as gold and metal alloys, acrylic and cermets. These alloys are usually more stable than porcelain and are recommended for posterior teeth. Ceramic-metal crowns are often used because of their stability and beauty. Porcelain is mounted on a metal frame.
Your dentist may recommend a crown in the following cases:
Modern crowns are almost indistinguishable from real teeth. The main difference between the crowns is the material from which they are made. It is the material that determines the appearance and strength of the products.
Despite the exceptional strength (due to the ductility of the metal, crowns from this type of material do not crack and do not wear out), metal crowns are already the history of dentistry. The thing is that platinum or gold crowns are extremely unaesthetic. In addition, they are difficult to precisely plant on the tooth. Finding a dental clinic where metal crowns are still being installed is not easy today. However, they are still sometimes placed on chewing teeth.
This is one of the best options if you want to save money. In the manufacture of ceramic-metal crowns, they use a ceramic coating similar to real enamel which is applied to a metal base. These are strong and durable crowns that are relatively inexpensive. But they also have disadvantages: the coating of such crowns does not have the translucency inherent in natural teeth, when installed on the front teeth, the metal base peeps into the gap between the coating layer and the gum, creating an ugly dark strip at the base of the tooth. In addition, the installation of such a crown requires depulpation and serious tooth turning.
Ceramic crowns are most similar to real teeth – an experienced specialist can give them a slight translucency at the edge, and even imitate the natural structure of tooth enamel. Ceramic crowns are often used for prosthetics of the front teeth. Such crowns are strong and durable, but they are not intended for a sharp force impact. In other words, if you have such crowns, you cannot bite nuts. The disadvantages of the products include the high price.
The basis of such crowns is made of metal (as a rule, it is an alloy of cobalt and chromium), and an overlay of plastic imitating enamel is attached to it. These are cheap crowns, which have many disadvantages: they are fragile, change color under the influence of coffee, wine and other coloring substances, and they look unnatural. However, the attractive cost and very high manufacturing speed make such crowns a suitable option for temporary prosthetics.
The prosthetics process consists of several stages and takes more than one day. Features depend on the type of crowns, but in general, the technology is as follows:
The installation of dental crowns is a popular method of prosthetics, due to several advantages:
At the same time, the installation and wearing of crowns are associated with some difficulties:
Dental crowns are a relatively inexpensive, aesthetic and almost universal way of prosthetics. They help not only restore chewing and speech functions but also achieve a perfect smile. There are situations when it is impossible to install a crown, and implantation is required. But in each such case, the issue is decided individually by the dentist.