A dental crown, known commonly as a cap, is placed over a tooth that has been damaged to prevent further harm from being done. The original damage can result from trauma or extensive decay. A crown can be fabricated from several different materials, and the right material depends on many factors. These include the dental health of the patient, aesthetic requirements and the desires of the patient.
Cast Gold
Cast gold crowns are not esthetically pleasing to many patients. However, they do excel in the areas of strength and durability. The Consumer Guide to Dentistry website indicates that cast gold crowns best serve patients who grind or clench their teeth. When selected, this type of crown is generally used in the back of the mouth where aesthetics is not much of an issue. Another benefit of the cast gold crown is that, because of its strength, it requires less tooth structure to be removed during preparation. This leaves the patient with more natural tooth structure remaining under the crown.
Porcelain
The all-porcelain crown provides the highest level of aesthetics. The porcelain material allows light to shine through, mimicking the translucence of natural teeth. One drawback to the porcelain crown is that it is not as strong as other types. This, along with the excellent aesthetic properties, makes this a good choice for crowns on front teeth. This way the crown can avoid being worn down by the strong biting forces experienced by the back teeth.
Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal
Porcelain-fused-to-metal, or PFM, crowns consist of a metal base covered with a layer of porcelain. This combines the strength of the metal crown with the aesthetics of the porcelain crown. The addition of the porcelain layer provides the opportunity to match the color of the crown with that of the surrounding teeth. However, the metal base can sometimes be detected under the porcelain, and this results in a crown that does not look as natural as possible. PFM crowns can be placed in any area of the mouth since they have the strength of the metal and are able to blend in with the natural teeth. One drawback to the PFM crown is that enough tooth structure must be removed to allow for placement of both the metal and porcelain components. This means that less natural tooth structure is left intact beneath the crown.
