Boise Dentist Blog
The professional blog of Doctors Dan Bruce, Steve Bruce, Rosa Pothier and Rob Ririe
All porcelain crowns
When a patient needs are crown, there are 3 possible options. First, there are gold crowns. Gold crowns are strong and kind to opposing teeth. They wear at close to the same rate as enamel and I have only seen one fracture (after 30 years of use). Functionally, gold is a great option; the only problem is the color. The second option is a gold crown with porcelain covering it, or a porcelain fused to metal crown. These crowns take advantage of the functional benefits of gold, but also provide the esthetics of porcelain. Problems with PFM's can be fracture of the porcelain and they have to be somewhat opaque to cover the metal underneath.
Finally, all porcelain crowns are available. Porcelain crowns either take advantage of the bond strength to the remaining tooth, or have a hard white core or material to provide strength. They are usually the most esthetic of the crowns available due to increased translucency (like natural teeth) and for the fact that you don't have to block out as much of the dark metal. The core materials are very hard and are tough to break. Porcelain crowns can fracture, though. Also, we just don't have as much data on how long they will last because they are so new. Evidence looks good, though.
In choosing a crown, there are many factors to evaluate. Where is the tooth, are you a clencher or grinder, how tall is the tooth, what shade are the other teeth, etc. By taking into consideration all these factors and more, we can make an informed decision on the type of crown that is necessary for you.