Types of Tooth Crown

A tooth crown is used to strengthen a broken or decayed tooth, to hold a large filling in place and to support dental implants or bridges. It can also be useful for a damaged tooth with a root canal, as a means of preventing further problems with the tooth.

Dental crowns are made from a variety of materials and there are several different types of crowns available to suit your needs. Choosing the right option for your dental needs is essential and it’s important to weigh up all of your options carefully before making a decision. Choosing the cheapest solution may result in poor quality results which will require more visits to the dentist, more cost and more discomfort in the long run.

Getting a Tooth Crown: What to Expect

Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns are a popular choice as they are very strong and can look very similar to your natural teeth. However, they are prone to fractures and chipping. It’s worth noting that porcelain crowns don’t last as long as ceramic ones (especially the pontics), so you may find yourself needing to visit the dentist for touch-ups more frequently.

Feldspathic porcelain crowns are a classic dental material that can be used to create a highly translucent and lifelike appearance. They can be layered directly on to the natural tooth surface (which transmits the underlying tooth colour through the porcelain), or they can be bonded onto a zirconia core.

The latest crowns are made from a single block of ceramic using CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and manufacturing) technology at the dentist’s surgery. This method allows them to be created and cemented in one appointment without the need for a temporary crown. This type of crown is referred to as a ‘monolithic’ crown and at VC Dental they are milled using our CEREC machine in-house.