Dental crowns are known to be the cap that is placed over a tooth. They are tooth-shaped and beneficial in restoring the shape, size, appearance, and strength of the tooth. There can be different circumstances where the requirement of dental crowns can exist. Like it maybe required to cover a dental implant, a tooth which is treated with a root canal, and they can be employed when there is a presence of a weak tooth from breaking or to hold together elements of a cracked tooth.
In this section, we will focus your attention to one of the most important and recommended types of crowns in recent times. We are talking about zirconia crowns that are considered as one of the strongest dental crowns. Zirconia has been divided into different types, like solid, layered, and high translucent. Solid zirconia is helpful in various cases like it can suit teeth which have undergone root canal treatment by delivering stronger support to weak teeth. Layered zirconia is mainly suitable for anterior crowns and might be used for posterior crowns if enough clearance is there. The third one, high translucent zirconia are productive in providing superior looks to the person which exactly resembles their natural teeth.
Zirconia crown contains numerous advantages. Like due to having a natural color of white, it delivers the transformations to any which shade that match with the other teeth. In many cases, it becomes hard to differentiate between the zirconium crowns from the rest of the natural teeth.
It proves extremely strong and asks for less tooth preparation than other materials. Unlike porcelain, there are fewer or no complaints of chipping off; if someone takes good care of it, it can stay in their mouth forever. Additionally, zirconium crowns are biocompatible as the tissues of our mouth happily admit them, and they initiate the functioning well within some days of the completion of its treatment.
With the help of zirconia, a more confident smile is brought to a person’s face. It is because it contains no metal lining at the gums. One benefit of zirconium crowns is that they will not deliver any complaints regarding corrosion like most dental crowns lead when different types of fluids and foods are consumed over the years. Zirconia crowns can adhere well to the tooth, and it also asks for less tooth removal than other dental crowns. At the time of fixing zirconia crowns, a lot of time will be saved because the dentist will only have to perform some minimum preparation to fit the zirconium crowns on the respective teeth. Zirconium crowns also prove to be cost-effective compared to regular crowns like
porcelain. Last but not least, such types of crowns are made up of computer-assisted designing and computer-assisted milling technologies that are supposed to be the latest in digital dentistry.
As with everything else, to every advantage, there are disadvantages. The toughness of this material has raised some concerns. They might wear out the opposing teeth and prove stronger against the natural teeth. One of the solutions for this problem will be frequent check-ups that will assist in reducing the possibility of damaging opposing teeth.
Another disadvantage observed in the case of zirconium crowns is that the decay underneath it due to the abrasion of a hard item against the other teeth might not be noticeable by and the person will only realize that there is a presence of decay once the crown falls off. That’s why these are some of the things which require a doctor’s inspection on a regular basis.
There have been many questions regarding which crown is good over the other, that is, zirconia and porcelain. We will try to deliver some information by which you can form your conclusion about the differences between the two. Both of these crowns are popular choices in treating large cavities in which the remaining tooth might not be able to support a filling or an inlay.
Firstly, talking about porcelain crowns, they consist of some features like the requirement of less tooth preparation and decreased temperature sensitivity as it’s a poor conductor of heat and cold. There are different types in which porcelain is introduced. Out of which there is a porcelain fused to very strong metal. Other options contain a pressed ceramic, all-porcelain crown or all-ceramic crown.
In some cases, zirconium crowns have succeeded to become better as compared to porcelain crowns. Zirconia has been proven to be five times stronger than porcelain or porcelain fused to metal. It also delivers 200 per cent higher bending strength and flexibility. Talking about strength, the zirconia restorations contain an extremely high tensile and flexural strength. This means they can better withstand the wear and tear on the teeth from speaking, biting and chewing. Regarding durability, zirconia is one step over porcelain, as porcelain crowns generally require replacement after a few years.
While zirconia crowns have shown higher percentages of survival rates after five years, both zirconia and porcelain are custom-made for the patients to provide a natural look. But it has been said that zirconia is highly translucent and multicoloured, and because it contains non-abrasive material, its restorations provide a superior level of comfort. If proper care is taken on both porcelain and zirconia crowns, like good oral hygiene of the mouth, both can deliver a life of about 5 to 10 years. All such things are, however, necessary to know, but before indulging in any dental treatment, it will be a good move to consult with your dentist.
