A dental crown is a type of fixed tooth prosthetic used to restore teeth. It is made from various kinds of materials, and can be combined with other dental treatments such as an implant or a bridge. Often times the tooth structure is deteriorated to the point that a simple filling won’t hold up, and so the whole tooth needs to be capped to restore strength and functionality. Also crowns or veneers can be used to reshape, or resurface teeth for cosmetic purposes. The tooth will need to be ground down to where it will fit inside a crown that fills in the space of the natural tooth. Dental crowns can be made of various types of material such as PFM porcelain, E.max all porcelain, and Zirconium Ceramic.
How do Dental Crowns Work?
Dental crowns are fixed prosthetic devices. A crown is used to entirely cover or “cap” a damaged tooth. Besides strengthening a damaged tooth, a crown can be used to improve its appearance, shape or alignment. A crown can also be placed on top of an implant to provide a tooth-like shape and structure for function. Porcelain or ceramic crowns can be matched to the color of your natural teeth.
Depending on the type of treatment you have received for your dental problem, your Tijuana dentist may recommend a crown to:
1. Have your tooth restored to its original size and shape, or replace a large filling when there isn’t enough tooth remaining. 2. Supply additional physical support for the treated tooth, or to protect a weak tooth from fracturing.
3. To cover a discolored or poorly shaped tooth, and get a complete “makeover” on the affected tooth.
4. Use a tooth as an abutment to attach a bridge.
5. Cover a tooth that has had root canal treatment
For cases like these, a crown is the most logical option, and is one type of dental work in Tijuana that has become very common.
While inlays and overlays cover the chewing surface of the tooth and fillings fill in the empty interior space of the tooth, crowns completely cover every visible part of the tooth – which is why they are sometimes referred to as “caps.” A part of your tooth remains but is essentially “rebuilt” to resemble the tooth at its exterior best.Porcelain crowns certainly can improve the look of a tooth or multiple teeth. We offer several kinds of materials for crown work, including gold and metal alloys, acrylic and ceramic. These alloys are generally stronger than porcelain and may be recommended for back teeth.
A standard Porcelain crown (PFM) is made by bonding porcelain to a metal shell or cap. It has been the standard for many years because it is both strong and attractive. We make two versions. For rear molars we recommend a metal margin, which is thinner, and slides under the edge of the gum easier. For front teeth, visible in your smile, we recommend porcelain margins, (collarless), where the porcelain completely covers the margins of the crown. In this way, you would never see a dark line at the edge of the gum, because if the gum recedes, there is no metal showing. the PFM crowns have a nice look, and can improve the appearance of your teeth cosmetically.
The E.max crowns are metal free, all porcelain crowns. They have superior luminescence, and are the same material as a veneer, except they cap the entire tooth. The e.max produce an even nicer appearance than the standard porcelain PFM crowns, but you have to be a little more careful with them as they are more fragile. E.max work best for front teeth, and we don’t recommend them for the back molars.
The cash price for a standard porcelain crown is $250. The cash price for standard porcelain with porcelain margins is $270. The cash price for all porcelain, metal free crowns, is $365; and the cash price for top quality, porcelain fused to zirconium is $440. The average cost at a USA dentist office for just a standard porcelain crown is $870.
About Zirconium Crowns: Zirconium base crowns are the very best crown we offer. They have the great luminescence like the E.max crowns, but they are stronger, and have a superior seal, so they last longer. The zirconium crowns are high tech, made with the precision of a computer.
Here is how the zirconium crowns are made: Zirconium is a white ceramic material that the lab buys in blocks. It is extremely hard and durable. To make a zirconium crown, the teeth must be prepared in an exact manner. A mold is made of your abutment teeth, a three dimensional laser scan is made of the casting of your teeth. Using a high tech CAD/CAM program, (computer aided design), a diamond milling machine lathe cuts the zirconium blocks to fit exactly over your teeth. Porcelain is the overlaid to give the hard glossy finish. Zirconium crowns have the best luminescence of any material and make the most realistic, yet perfect teeth.
