A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth fully covering it above gum line. Crowns help restore the shape, size, strength, and appearance of the remaining tooth structure.
The crown can be made of metal, ceramic or porcelain fused to metal. The choice of crown depends on many factors and your dentist should advise you on the most suitable type after taking an examination and possibly radiographs too.
Why is a Dental Crown Needed?
- A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:
- To hold together parts of a cracked tooth
- To restore an already broken tooth
- To restore severely worn-down teeth
- To support a tooth that has a very large filling, and the remaining tooth structure is weak and prone to fracture
- As part of a bridge design to hold the bridge in place
- As part of a dental implant
- To cover misshaped or severely discoloured teeth
- To make a cosmetic modification
What Types of Crowns Are Available?
1. Metal (silver looking alloy):
These crowns are strong and last a long time. Suitable for out of sight molars.
2. Gold:
These are thin, strong, and long lasting. Less of the tooth structure needs to be removed so more of the original tooth is preserved. Gold crowns are more expensive than metal crowns.
3. Metal-Ceramic:
In this type of crown ceramic is fused to the metal. Unlike the metallic crowns, these can be colour matched to your adjacent teeth and hence are more cosmetically elegant and can be used for both front and back teeth.
4. All ceramic:
These crowns are metal free and hence provide better natural colour match than any other crown type and may be more suitable for people with metal allergies. They can be used for front and back teeth.
Your dentist will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the treatment in order to help you make an informed decision