Navigating 8 Popular Dental Crown Types

Many people will need at least one dental crown during their lifetime. It is a popular restorative treatment that your dentist may recommend if you have a tooth that is severely damaged. You may need a dental crown when a tooth is significantly decayed and much of its original structure is missing.

Usually, a dentist can fill a decayed tooth with a suitable material, but when the decay is too substantial, a filling isn’t strong enough. Trying to restore the tooth with an ordinary filling would leave it at risk of cracking or crumbling away later. Crowns are often needed to restore teeth after root canal therapy.

A well-designed dental crown covers the tooth entirely, so the original structure is not visible. It restores the overall shape of the tooth, its structure, and its strength. All dental crowns require some form of tooth preparation. Your dentist will need to remove some tooth structure to create enough room for the dental crown to fit comfortably so it doesn’t look bulky and unnatural.

There are several types of crowns available. Your choice may depend on your budget, the tooth’s location, and personal preference.

In this guide, you will learn all about the different types of dental crowns, the materials they are made from, and the pros and cons.

Nonprecious Metal Crowns

Nonprecious metal crowns can be made from various alloys and are silver-colored. Metals used can include nickel, palladium, or chromium. These crowns are durable and strong, and the metal is polished to a high sheen.

Pros can include:

• Strength and durability, as these crowns can easily withstand substantial biting and chewing forces.
• They are long-lasting.
• A metal crown can be quite thin, so it is ideal for situations with little space, so only minimal tooth preparation is needed.
• These crowns are affordable and are relatively inexpensive to make and fit.

Cons can include:

• The silver color is highly visible, so these crowns are only really used to restore back teeth.
• Some people have metal allergies or sensitivities, especially to metals like nickel.

Porcelain Fused to Metal Crowns

Porcelain fused to metal crowns, or PFMs, are a traditional type of tooth-colored crown. A PFM has a thin metal substructure. The metal substructure is covered with porcelain, usually leaving a thin metal collar around the back of the tooth.
The result is a crown that looks reasonably good and is durable and long-lasting.

Pros can include:

• A PFM is natural-looking as the color can closely match your real teeth.
• It is suitable for front and back teeth.
• A PFM is relatively strong.

Cons can include:

• The porcelain can chip or break away, especially if you have a heavy bite. Metal bite stops on the biting surfaces can be included but are very visible.
• As the crown ages and your gum recedes, it can expose the edge of the crown, which is generally darker where the porcelain is thinner, and the metal has begun to shine through. The result can be an unsightly dark line in your mouth.

Stainless Steel Crowns

A stainless-steel crown may be recommended when restoring a child’s milk or primary tooth. If these teeth decay, a dentist needs to try to preserve and protect them until they are ready to fall out on their own. Otherwise, if extracted, the remaining teeth can move towards the gap, affecting the alignment of the adult teeth as they come through and causing problems like overcrowding and crooked teeth.

Stainless steel crowns can be pre-made and adapted to fit reasonably well over a child’s tooth.

Pros can include:

• Pre-made crowns are inexpensive.
• Treatment is less invasive, especially when treating a child.
• The stainless-steel crown remains on the tooth and falls out with the primary tooth when the adult tooth is ready to erupt.
• Some stainless-steel crowns are available with acrylic facings, making them more aesthetically pleasing.

Cons can include:

• A stainless-steel crown is very visible in the mouth.
• Finding a crown that is the right size to fit over a child’s tooth might be tricky.

Composite Resin Crowns

Composite resin crowns are made from a resin material, similar to the material used to fill cavities in teeth. They look natural but aren’t very durable.

Usually, this type of crown is only provided as a temporary measure as it is not built to last long. Your dentist may fit a composite resin crown while a more permanent crown is being made.

Pros can include:

• A composite resin crown is affordable.
• Your dentist can create a composite resin crown chairside.
• Composite resin comes in various shades so your crown can be closely matched to your natural teeth.

Cons can include:

• A composite resin crown can fracture or break quite easily.
• It can become worn down quite quickly.

Gold Crowns

A gold crown is made from a precious metal alloy. Depending on the percentage of gold, it can be yellow gold-colored or silver-coloured and polished to a high sheen. Gold crowns are renowned for their durability. They can be constructed so they are quite thin yet still very strong and only require minimal tooth preparation. A gold crown can be a great choice when restoring a back tooth.

Pros can include:

• Durability as they can last for many years.
• Your dentist will only need to remove a minimal amount of tooth structure when preparing your tooth for the crown.
• Gold crowns are gentle to opposing teeth and will not damage or wear them down.

Cons can include:

• A gold crown can be expensive as the price may be based on the market price of gold.
• Gold is highly visible in the mouth and will not look natural.
• Gold crowns aren’t generally used to restore front teeth, although some people like to have a gold front tooth to express their personality.

Pressable Crowns

Pressable crowns are made from lithium disilicate. One of the most popular brands is e.max. They are made from a block of pure pre-shaded porcelain heated to a high temperature and pressed into shape under vacuum. The resulting crown can then have special porcelain added to its surface to characterize it, or it can be polished to a high sheen.

These crowns are extremely beautiful and reasonably strong and are ideal for situations when aesthetics are important.

Pros can include:

• It is aesthetically appealing and perfect for front teeth.
• Lithium disilicate is fairly strong, so a pressable crown should last years.

Cons can include:

• Pressable crowns are quite expensive.
• They are less suitable for restoring back teeth where chewing forces are stronger and could break or fracture them.

Zirconia Crowns

Zirconia is one of the strongest dental materials available. It is tooth-colored and can be pre-shaded, providing a natural-looking appearance. These crowns can be aesthetically appealing while incredibly strong. Zirconia crowns are milled and then sintered, where they are heated up to a high temperature, a process that gives them their strength.

Pros can include:

• Durability as they can last for years.
• They are natural-looking, and special porcelain can be added to the crown’s surface to enhance its appearance.
• They are suitable for anywhere in the mouth, including back teeth.
• Zirconia crowns can even be used in people with bruxism, where they clench and grind. There is a special type of zirconia produced for bruxism.

Cons can include:

• Zirconia crowns can be more expensive compared with other crowns.

Same-Day Crowns

Same-day crowns are becoming increasingly common as more dental practices purchase the milling machine needed. These crowns are made in the dental office while patients wait. They can be fitted on the same day as the tooth is prepared.

The crowns are milled from a block of pre-shaded porcelain. Once milled, they can be hand-finished and are ready to fit.

After the tooth is prepared, the dentist takes a scan and uses special software to design the crown on screen. The crown design is then sent to the on-site milling machine.

Pros can include:

• There is no need for a second appointment, as you will leave the practice with your new tooth.
• There is no need for a temporary crown.
• Crowns are precision-made using CADCAM technology, so they fit extremely well.
• The porcelain blocks come in a huge range, so the color can be closely matched to your natural tooth.
• Same-day crowns are very high quality.

Cons can include:

• Same-day crowns are not suitable in every situation and may be less advisable if you need multiple crowns or require other restorations that must be closely matched to them.

As you can see, the range of crowns available is considerable. However, if your dentist advises you to have a crown, then there is almost certainly one or two choices that will suit you best. Your dentist can guide you on which solutions will provide the desired outcome and fit your budget.

Choosing the right dental crown depends on durability, aesthetics, and budget. Each type has unique benefits, from strong metal crowns to natural-looking porcelain options. Consult Century Medical & Dental Center to determine the best crown for your needs and ensure long-lasting dental health.