Introduction
In prosthetic dentistry, a dental crown represents the possibility of treating a tooth that has been severely damaged by caries. In cases where so much natural tooth substance has been lost due to the carious defect that the tooth is in danger of breaking under stress, a dental crown is often the last chance to preserve the tooth. The artificial crown is placed on the damaged tooth like a kind of cap and glued to it, so it can help the tooth to regain stability and prevent the loss of the tooth.
Gold, titanium, various plastics and ceramics are among the most frequently used materials for dental crowns in Germany. A clear disadvantage of this type of prosthetic dentistry is the fact that an enormous amount of tooth substance must be removed during preparation (up to 60%) and in many cases only a small tooth stump remains. Many dentists recommend a root canal treatment before inserting the crown because of the high preparation effort and the resulting traumatization of the tooth. This is a sensible consideration, because if the pulp in the nerve fibers embedded in the tooth becomes inflamed after the crown is inserted, the entire crown must be milled out and then replaced.
Types of crowns
There are different types of dental crowns that can be selected depending on the initial state and the extent of the carious defect. If the extent of the caries is relatively small, it is often sufficient to make a so-called partial crown, whereas large defects must be treated with a full crown. In addition, the individual crowns differ in the materials used.
Usually find: They have to be made on the basis of a dental impression in the dental laboratory and then placed in the mouth. In contrast to the more expensive variants, full-cast crowns are cast from a single piece of metal and are therefore extremely durable. They belong to the standard services and are relatively inexpensive compared to higher quality dental crowns.
Among the materials used are: Since patients with nickel-containing crowns have often suffered from allergies (nickel allergy), they have hardly been produced for some time now. The choice of nickel-based crowns is also not recommended for health reasons. The best tolerated crowns are those made of gold or platinum, as they do not cause allergies or other negative influences on the organism.
As a rule of thumb: the more precious the metal in the alloy, the easier it can be processed in the dental laboratory. This also reduces the risk of discoloration of the crown and surrounding tissue. However, crowns made of high-quality metals are much more expensive in comparison.
However, since full crowns are only used in the posterior region, if at all, due to the lack of aesthetics, so-called veneer crowns are used for the prosthetic restoration of the anterior teeth. In contrast to full crowns, veneered crowns are made by layering an acrylic or ceramic coating over the metal part. Both the plastic and the ceramic can be adapted to the natural tooth color and is therefore much more inconspicuous.
Veneered crowns have a similar durability as full-cast crowns, but are less harmful to health. A disadvantage, however, is that the plastic or ceramic coating can flake off under stress and must then be replaced. In general, ceramic is somewhat more robust than plastic.
In addition, unsightly discoloration can quickly occur. The most durable, but also most expensive variant is the all-ceramic crown, which is made entirely of porcelain. They are mainly used in the area of incisors and/or canines and look very similar to the natural tooth.
Galvanic crowns are made of pure gold and porcelain. The production is extremely complex and expensive, but the durability cannot be surpassed by any other type of crown.
- Full-cast crowns
- Veneered crowns
- All-ceramic, galvanic and
- Pin crowns frequently used
- Gold
- Titanium
- Pallidum and
- Nickel
