As a patient, it is important to know the optimum life span of dental crowns, especially if they are made of metal. You should consult with your dentist so that he/she can advise you on the correct and most convenient way to meet your needs.
A dental crown is one of the ideal solutions we have at our disposal to replace damaged or missing teeth, these can also be used in aesthetic treatments or functional rehabilitations to achieve an ideal smile design. This dental treatment consists of a kind of tooth-shaped cover, which is placed over a natural tooth thus achieving a protection to it or a better appearance.
In general, the use of dental crowns is necessary when:
- You have weak teeth due to decay or endodontic treatment.
- You have a denture that is worn or fractured.
- When you need to protect a tooth with a large filling from fracture.
- When there is an absence between two teeth is used to support a dental bridge of 3 units or more.
- To cover a tooth with incorrect anatomy or to cover an inadequate color.
- On a dental implant.
The most common crowns used today are:
- Metal crowns with Porcelain (ceramic).
- Zirconia Crowns with Porcelain (ceramic)
Metal-Porcelain Crowns
How long does a metal-porcelain crown last?
Under ideal conditions of production, good materials and use, metal-ceramic crowns can last in optimal conditions between 8-12 years. After this period the metal in the crowns suffer oxidation that causes gum retraction and tattoos on the gum, therefore it is recommended to replace them.
Disadvantages of metal-porcelain crowns:
In some cases metal can cause allergic reactions, so it is important that specialists analyze your case in detail.
Metal-ceramic prostheses allow for functional restorations, but when it comes to restoring teeth in the anterior sectors (smile area), they present two major disadvantages due to their metallic infrastructure:
1. Since the interior is made of metal, it creates a dark shadow when the light hits directly or goes through the teeth, taking away the naturalness and a pleasant appearance of the smile.
2. Since the metal oxidizes over time, it produces a dark halo around the gum.
*In the left piece we can appreciate the translucency that allows a porcelain metal crown, the piece on the right is a zirconia-porcelain crown, the rest are natural pieces.
Have you ever seen a person that the junction line between the tooth and the gum looks dark or black? This is the undesired effect that metal crowns with porcelain cause once they generate oxidation. And be careful! It is worth mentioning it, since in many occasions patients mention to us that they do not want any type of crowns because they have the idea that they look false or grayish in the union with the gum… It is necessary to make it clear: This effect is generated only and exclusively by metal porcelain crowns.
Zirconia Porcelain Crowns
How long does a zirconia-porcelain crown last?
A well made crown, with CAD/CAM technology, with a good fit both in sealing and chewing contacts, can last for many years, but not forever in some people. Statistics show that more than 90% of these crowns function well after 15 years of use in the mouth, and more than 80% are still successful after 20 years of use and counting, since this is the approximate age at which they were launched on the market. This is considered very favorable data if we take into account the very demanding use that these dental prostheses have in any person who wears them.
There are factors that are determinant in the duration of porcelain crowns, zirconium crowns or any other type of dental crown:
The amount of wear a crown is exposed to (chewing force, clenching, grinding or trauma from accidents).
Dental hygiene. How well the crown is preserved from plaque or tartar.
The hand of the dentist who made it, that the necessary cuts to receive the crown have been made in the right way, thoroughly, and with due care.
*Makeover patient, the before clearly shows the retraction of the gum and damage to the dental tissues by the metal in the previous crowns. The after crowns are zirconia – Noritake porcelain, made with CAD/CAM technology and artistically hand-pressed porcelain.
Advantages and disadvantages of a zirconia-porcelain crown
Actually, there is no disadvantage in a zirconia-porcelain crown. Nowadays, the use of a zirconia-porcelain crown offers many advantages that were not available before. The patient will receive greater comfort as it is a biocompatible material, the gum will always be grateful for it and it will avoid possible allergies in people predisposed or allergic to metals.
They are more resistant than metal crowns and control the temperature when ingesting drinks or food, so that we do not have unpleasant sensations due to cold or heat.
Now, if we have to define and decide for a porcelain prosthesis with zirconia, which is the most important factor… undoubtedly say that it is aesthetic. Zirconia is a pure white and very translucent material with which the creation of crowns is very bright, translucent, shiny and natural.
We recommend to always keep in mind that, although they are the same components in a crown there are different processes and brands to manufacture them, the difference between them provides a very different result in quality, durability and naturalness, therefore we recommend you to get information about the brand or prestige of the porcelain, laboratory and manufacturing processes with which the confection will be carried out.
In Makeover we can help you in your dental treatment with crowns providing the best materials to take care of your dental health. We highly recommend that when a crown is necessary, ask for complete information of all the options your dentist handles, since with this information and knowledge you will select the option that you think is most appropriate. If you need a consultation, do not hesitate to call us and get in touch with us we will be happy to advise you at makeoverdentalstudio@hotmail.com or at our phone numbers MX 664-634-2023 / EU (619) 202-0423.