The Materials That Can Be Used For Your Dental Crown
Need a dental crown to strengthen one of your teeth? If so, you'll have a variety of different materials to pick from. While your dentist may have a recommendation for you, it always helps to know your options so you can make a decision on your own. Here are four different materials that your crown can be made from.
Porcelain and Metal
A porcelain and metal crown will have the crown's body made with porcelain material. However, there's a layer of metal located under that porcelain. The arrangement of the two materials will allow the crown to look completely natural with its porcelain surface, but it will still have the durable base material that will give the crown some much-needed strength.
The one drawback to using this type of crown is if its porcelain were to chip at some point after the crown is installed. It would potentially reveal the metal located underneath the crown, requiring a repair to get the tooth looking natural once again.
Metal
It is also possible to have a crown installed that is made entirely out of metal. Be using metal rather than porcelain, the crown will have the strength to potentially last a lifetime. While the tooth will not look natural, this may not be an issue due to where the crown needs to be installed. If it is a rear molar, you may decide to use a metal crown because nobody will ever notice it. Many dental patients decide to have their metal crown made out of gold material. The benefits of using gold is that is will not wear away at the enamel of any teeth that touch it.
Porcelain
You can also get a crown made only with porcelain materials. While you may think that an all-porcelain crown makes the most sense due to how it will blend in with your surrounding teeth, know that it is also going to cost more money than other materials. Porcelain on its own also lacks the strength of a metal crown, which can cause the porcelain to become damaged over time. That said, porcelain is still a great choice for crowns needed for front teeth that are highly visible.
Resin
A composite resin material is a cheap and affordable dental crown option, which is appealing to those paying for the crown with their own cash rather than dental insurance. While cheap and natural-looking, resin is the weakest material of the bunch and more likely to break under normal wear and tear. You could end up needed a replacement dental crown sooner rather than later.
Contact your dentist for more information about the options they have for dental crowns.