What Material Is Used to Make My Crown?

Worldwide estimates show that 2.3 billion people have dental caries (tooth decay in their permanent teeth), making improving dental health a priority to prevent many conditions that can affect long-term oral health. Taking care of the healthy teeth is a great start, but for the ones already damaged, dental crowns, fillings, and bridges are common methods of protecting them.

Dental crowns are useful for dental protection, and they can be made of several materials, each of which has benefits. To better understand how crowns can help and what materials are available, let’s examine how crowns protect teeth, the different ways they can be made, and the advantages of each material.

Residents of the Marmaroneck, New York, and Stamford, Connecticut, areas in need of dental crowns can find help from Dr. Gennadiy Kravets and his skilled medical staff at All Bright Dental.

How dental crowns protect teeth

Teeth can be damaged for many reasons, with tooth decay being a common cause. However, other factors include tooth grinding (bruxism), mouth injuries, chewing hard foods (candy, ice, popcorn kernels), chewing gum, and simply getting older. 

Dental crowns are caps placed over damaged teeth that resemble them in their healthy state to prevent further damage. It is cemented into place to protect weakened teeth, restore broken or worn down teeth, support dental bridges, attach to a dental implant, and cover teeth following a root canal.

Crown materials and their benefits

Crowns can be made from several materials, including:

Metal

Metals include gold, palladium, nickel, and chromium. They are very durable, making them long-lasting as they can withstand your biting and chewing well. The main drawback is aesthetics. If you don’t like the look of a metal crown, you’re less likely to choose it. For that reason, they are mostly used for replacing out-of-sight areas of teeth.

Hybrid crowns (PFM, POM, PTM)

Hybrid crowns address the aesthetic issue of metal crowns, covering them with a natural color using either porcelain (porcelain fused to metal or PFM) or ceramic (pressed over metal or pressed to metal, POM and PTM). 

All-porcelain / all-ceramic

This is the best choice for matching the natural color of your teeth and an option to consider if you have allergic reactions to the metal. They are also a good choice for front teeth. Keep in mind that they aren’t as durable as the metal or porcelain to fused metal options.

Pressed ceramic

Unlike the all-ceramic option, this material has a hard inner core and is capped with porcelain. Pressed ceramic crowns are longer lasting than the all-porcelain or all-ceramic options.

Resin

Resin crowns are generally cheaper than the other materials. However, they wear down over time and are more likely to break than other crown options.

All metal, all ceramic, and ceramic on metal are our go-to options, and we will help you make the choice that best suits your needs. If you need crowns or other dental appliances, make an appointment with Dr. Kravets and All Bright Dental today.