Crowns – Not for the Head, Just as Expensive

There is much confusion on what a dental crown does. When a tooth has decayed and/or broken down beyond the ability to be preserved and protected with the use regular filling material, partial to full coverage is often recommended – i.e. THE CROWN.

Metal crowns can be of stainless steel, gold or Titanium. Tooth-colored (most popular) can be plastic, porcelain, or a new Zirconium-based option.

Each of these materials have their own pros and cons. You need to discuss these differences with your dentist to decide what is best for you.

The design of crowns has changed remarkably over the last several thousand years. Yes, you read that correctly. We have been using materials to “fix” our teeth for a very long time.

With newer materials and bonding agents, conservative preparation (saving tooth structure), aesthetically pleasing and stronger tooth restorations are possible.

The research continues to try and find the most biologically compatible restorative materials. Even though the tooth is the hardest substance in the human body, it still bends, compresses, flexes and even barrels.

Thus, these newest and hardest materials are fraught with many obstacles over time. The differences in physical properties cause failures in the interface between the tooth and man-made materials.

When it comes to covering your teeth, I cannot stress enough how important it is to discuss ALL of the options with your dentist. If you don’t have one, I’d be happy to sit down with you one-on-one and figure out what is best for you.