A crown is a general term for a dental restoration that completely covers or surrounds a tooth or dental implant and it is typically placed on a tooth using dental cement. Crowns can be made out of numerous materials, which are usually fabricated using out-of-mouth method. Crowns are frequently used to protect weakened tooth structure or improve appearance of teeth. Crowns can be made out of all gold material, or other metals, or porcelain fused to metal, or an all porcelain (metal free) material
Zirconia crown is an all porcelain crown that have quickly become the preferred material for dental crowns. Unlike traditional Porcelain crowns, where the porcelain is fused onto a metal substructure, there is no metal in a Zirconia crown.
Because it is free of metal, Zirconia crowns won’t corrode. Also, the objectionable black line that you can sometimes see at the gum line on a porcelain fused metal crown, won’t occur with Zirconia crowns because of its all ceramic material.
There is some opacity to the Zirconia material such that it may not be best choice for every case. But because it can blend in with teeth better than other materials, and because it is a very strong biocompatible substance that can withstand the wear and tear of mastication and the oral environment, it is our preferred choice.
For highly visible esthetic areas, or where patients feel a need for high esthetics, we utilize materials known as E-Max or Empress Crowns. These materials are more translucent, and can blend in with the adjacent teeth.
