Dental Crown Types

Cosmetic Porcelain Crowns

Full porcelain crowns possess a translucency that makes them the most cosmetically pleasing of all of the different types of dental crowns. They are mainly used for front teeth. Many of our patients also choose these life-like crowns for back teeth. With the invention of the cerec Emax 1-hr. crown we now have the technology to give our patients porcelain crowns that have characteristics of strength and wear similar to gold.
More about the use of porcelain crowns used for makeover dentistry

Porcelain veneers are subcategory of porcelain crowns. From regular veneers to lumineers, these porcelain products can change a person’s smile from ordinary to extraordinary.
About how porcelain veneers can be used for makeover dentistry
More about combination cases of all porcelain crowns and veneers used together

Metal Crowns

Metal crowns are made of a mixture of gold, copper, titanium, and other metals that provide strength and resistance to corrosion. 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 can be silvery in color and can contain a various mixture of different metals, such as titanium, vitallium, silver, etc.

Metal Crowns that Provide Strength:

Having a gold dental crown made can be an excellent choice and we always recommend these type of crowns for back teeth. Gold is a very workable metal and this helps us to be able to achieve a very precise fit with the crown. Gold crowns can withstand biting and chewing forces well and it would be unusual for a gold crown to break. Of all of the types of dental crowns, gold crowns probably have the greatest potential for lasting the longest. Also, the wear rate of a gold crown is about the same as tooth enamel. This means that a gold dental crown won’t create excessive wear on the teeth it opposes (the teeth it bites against). The only problem with gold crowns, currently, is the high cost of gold.

Metal Crowns can be white or yellow:

In those cases where an all-metal dental crown is being placed, you might have a preference as to whether it should have a yellow (like gold) or silver (“white”) coloration. An alloy’s composition determines its color. The noble dental metals are gold, platinum and palladium. In most applications the overall cost between using a high noble or base metal alloy might be small, however if you have a large crown it might be a consideration. If dental insurance is paying a part of your bill, you might check to see if there are any limitations as to the type of metal that can be used. The policy might state that they do not cover the cost of high noble alloys.

You may also want to consider that some people have metal allergies. Studies have reported that about 10% of the female population and 5% of the male have an allergic response to nickel, chrome and/or beryllium alloys (metals often found in nonprecious dental alloys).

At our office we only use precious metals, unless patient requests a lower priced crown such as a nonprecious metal.

Cosmetic Porcelain-Metal Crowns

Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM) Crowns:

PFM Outside PFM Inside

As you can see, esthetically the outside of PFM crowns are made to look like natural tooth structure, while reinforced with metal on the inside for optimal strength.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns are somewhat of a hybrid between metal crowns and porcelain crowns. First, the dental technician makes a shell of metal that fits over the tooth. Second, porcelain is fused over this metal at high temperatures. The porcelain hides the metal substructure, giving the crown a white tooth-like appearance. These crowns can have porcelain placed on the entire surface or selectively used only on the outside visible area, thereby leaving metal to withstand heavy biting forces on back teeth.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) dental crowns can be an excellent choice for either front or back teeth. These crowns are strong enough to withstand heavy biting pressures and can have an excellent cosmetic appearance. Many patients may complain of an older PFM crown that can show the metal that lies underneath a crown‘s porcelain layer, years after it is placed. This can be visualized as a dark line found right at the crown‘s edge. This mainly happens after a few years if the gums recede. Our highly trained technician specializes in hiding these metal collars during fabrication by blending porcelain over these margins. This helps to decrease any chances of metal exposure in the future.
Info about PFMs used in smilemakeovers

Implant Crowns

All the available crown types can be used for crown fabrication on an Implant. For work on front teeth, it is more preferential to use all porcelain abutments and crowns in order to hide any “bleed-through” from the metal implant interface.