What kind of dental crown is best?
A dental crown may be needed to prevent tooth collapse or to bring together cracked teeth. Although various kinds of material are used for the crown, the crown made from porcelain (a specific type of dental ceramic) has the most natural appearance, performance and gives value for money.
Some porcelain crowns rely on metal construction for strength to provide tooth protection. In particular, they are called porcelain fused to metal or PFM crowns. The PFM crowns are widely used in dentistry and have a metal shell on which porcelain is put together in an oven. They are cheap and robust materials for tooth decay and cracks. However, one of the most common problems with porcelain fused to metal crowns is that they show metal around the crown's edges like the picture below.
The patient in the before-after pictures had old porcelain fused to metal crowns on her front teeth. A cosmetic approach replacing her restorations created beautiful results that mimic a natural tooth's vitality, eliminating the gum line's dark edge. Dr. Shimizu received an award from AACD for this case in recognition of his artistic expertise.
With today's technology, it's possible to have structural strength in a more natural and undetectable all-porcelain metal-free crown. Porcelain crowns are virtually undetectable among your natural teeth. We offer beauty, function, and reliability for superior results using only state-of-the-art materials and laboratories.
List of crown types:
Gold Crowns
Gold crowns are highly durable and robust and are therefore widely used in the restoration of posterior teeth.
Gold dental crowns are recommended for patients who have a habit of chewing hard foods along with clenching and grinding.
Porcelain crowns
Porcelain crowns are the most commonly used type of crown due to their natural appearance and metal-free construction.
The difference in how they are made results in their naming; the ceramic crown contains a mixture of porcelain and other non-metal material, and the porcelain crown has only dental porcelain.
Porcelain fused to metal/PFM crowns
Porcelain fused to metal crowns is cheaper, and they look like natural teeth, but the metallic composition of the crown's underside may cause gray gum lines. Since porcelain is baked into metal basel, the porcelain will come off or chip.
Zirconia crowns
Zirconia crowns are made of zirconium dioxide, which is more rigid and robust than porcelain and has excellent aesthetics and strength. The zirconia crown can only be carved with CAD/CAM-supported milling machines.
E-max crowns
Emax crowns are made from lithium disilicate ceramic, hold similar durability, appearance, and price to zirconia crowns. The E-max crowns are more expensive than the zirconia crowns.
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Dr. Shimizu is an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. There are 419 dental professionals worldwide (Only four in Houston) as of 2022 who have achieved this prestigious honor.