Dental crowns are commonly used with implants to replace missing or decayed teeth. They can also be used as anchors for dental bridges and partial dentures.
Porcelain and gold have long been the traditional materials composing crowns. Porcelain crowns can give a more natural look, but is more prone to chipping. Gold crowns are the least expensive, but they have an unsightly appearance and can produce negative allergic reactions.
Crowns can also be made of zirconium. Zirconium crowns produce a great, natural look and don’t bring uncomfortable side effects.
What is Zirconium?
Zirconium is a strong type of crystal that has numerous favorable qualities. Crystal is known for being long-lasting and indestructible. Zirconium is no different. Besides its strength and durability, zirconium is also compatible with the human body, making its use popular in the medical field.
The major advantages of zirconium include:
Biocompatibility.
Because the body won’t reject the zirconium, there will lower chances of infections, complications, pain, discomfort, and allergic reactions to the crowns.
Great at hiding tooth damage.
Zirconium is preferred over porcelain in covering up and hiding tooth damage caused by staining or fractures.
Durability.
Being made of crystal, zirconium is nearly indestructible, easily withstanding the most vigorous chewing and biting activities. In fact, zirconium is five times as strong as porcelain! Zirconium crowns are milled in a way that they are nearly indestructible. They are also resistant to extreme hot and cold temperatures, which lowers the frequency of tooth hypersensitivity that can be common with other types of crowns.
Long-lasting.
Going along with its durability, zirconium crowns also last longer than porcelain crowns. This is, mainly due to zirconium being more resistant to chipping and cracking.
Can be easily modified, reshaped and colored.
Despite their strong structure, zirconium crowns can be easily shaped, sized and colored to match the natural teeth of the patient. It is thought that the malleable nature of zirconium crowns can produce crowns that are shaped better than the original crown that it replaces. The ability to create the perfect shape, size and color produces a much better, more natural look for the patient.
Less tooth structure has to be removed.
Typically, when a crown is needed, a layer of the original tooth is removed for the crown to fit over it properly. The strength of zirconium means that a thinner layer of it is required for the crown. A thinner crown results in less of the original tooth to be removed.
Aesthetically pleasing.
Zirconium crowns are translucent being made from crystal. The clear, translucent appearance of zirconium allows for the perfect tooth coloring that best matches the patient’s natural tooth color, better than gold or porcelain crowns.
No metal is needed.
Unlike gold or porcelain crowns, zirconium crowns don’t require to be fused with a metal base which make traditional crowns more noticeable.
Zirconium crowns give you the comfort, security, feel, durability and appearance of natural teeth.
For more information about zirconium crowns and to learn more about how they can give you a beautiful, natural smile, contact us at Arrowhead Dental Laboratory today. Our experienced technicians utilize the latest technology to craft and produce unique, individualized crowns for each patient.