Crowns
WHAT IS A DENTAL CROWN?
A dental crown or dental cap is a custom-made restoration that covers a tooth with sustained significant loss of structure. They are analogical to being a thimble capped over your finger. Dental crowns are used to repair and preserve teeth to a certain shape and size. Crowns improve the appearance of the tooth as well as provide strength.
A dental crown is an artificial dental prosthesis or a dental restoration that is placed over a weak and damaged tooth to offer it strength and function.
- The dental crown reinforces the tooth’s structure as well as preserves the aesthetics.
- The crown is placed over an existing tooth that is worked on with the help of dental cement, an adhesive.
Certain cavities are deep and large and make the tooth weak and fragile. Even teeth that are restored by a Root Canal Treatment should be protected by a tooth cap or crown to prevent further damage. A cap acts like a helmet and protects against any further breakage or tooth decay.
If you are looking for a treatment for missing teeth replacement in Seawoods, reach out to us at the Ivory Dental Clinic.
Over the years technology has been able to bring us advanced caps using different materials with durability, aesthetics, and better fits.
Caps are available in different variants depending on the material, durability, and cost.
Caps can be classified as –
- Made from Metals – Metal Caps
- With high strength ceramic – Ceramic Caps
METAL CAPS
Conventionally metal caps used the same technology as jewellery making, where a tooth-shaped die is made by hand and molten metal is poured into it to give the shape of a cap.
This method is in practice for more than 50 years, but not very promising because of the fit issues, as well as the strength of the material as compared to full ceramic caps.
However, metal caps are still used in India because of the cheaper cost of manufacturing. The quality, cost-effectiveness and durability combined makes it a preferred choice for most patients. However, metal caps come with their own set of problems.
Metal caps and their drawbacks
- In case you are a regular non-vegetarian, then metal fused ceramic caps may not be a good choice for you.
- The fit issues with metal caps make it susceptible to food and bacteria accumulation over the years, leading to decay and finally loss of the tooth.
- The metal caps are also painted with ceramic paint to look like a natural tooth. As the paint is very brittle, it tends to break under heavy pressure.
- Even with the coat of ceramic paint, they still do not appear to match the colour of natural teeth and therefore cannot be used on front teeth.
Technological advances in Metal Caps
Technological innovations have enhanced the metal cap making procedure and there are not many problems now with computer-assisted designing and milling.
The newer metal-based caps are made with digital laser sintering and have relatively been able to solve the problems arising from older metal caps. The new caps however offer better fit and durability.
CERAMIC CAPS
The full ceramic crowns have completely revolutionized the way teeth look and perform in the mouth, after capping. As they are made up of material like natural teeth, they are gum-friendly and more adaptable to the body. The similarity is such that even patients forget which tooth was capped.
Full ceramic caps are made with a computer-assisted designing and milling process that ensures a precise fit, customized shape and size to suit the patient’s mouth perfectly.
Full ceramic crowns are made of a single block of high strength ceramic. These are strong and can withstand the high pressure of all types of food on the tooth.
These caps come in different varieties based on strength and appearance. Nevertheless, whichever option you choose, the fit and function are close to a natural tooth.
Full ceramic crowns are much sought-after treatment, to beautify one’s smile. As these crowns appear very natural, they are the best choice for front teeth that are discoloured or crooked. The natural appearance of these caps will not make anyone realise that these are artificial caps and enhance your smile to a radiant one.
Porcelain-Fused-To-Metal
If you want to keep the durability of metal as well as the aesthetic quality of natural teeth then, Porcelain fused to metal is the ideal solution. These metal crowns have an outer layer made of porcelain that matches the colour of your teeth, making them look natural and white.
Zirconium
These are the new-age crowns that are durable, strong, and have superior aesthetics. They are biocompatible and therefore the best dental crowns to be used on your front and back teeth.
We are a dentist near Seawoods and can be contacted to explore all kinds of Dental treatments.