North Haven Porcelain Crowns: A Metal-Free Dentist

North Haven Porcelain Crowns: A Metal-Free Dentist

A crown can perfectly restore a tooth’s appearance and function. You might need one or more crowns if you have teeth that are:

• Cracked
• Broken
• Malformed

The first dental crowns were entirely metal. Later, porcelain painted over the metal gave crowns a slightly more natural appearance. To offer our patients the best in aesthetics and function, we prefer metal-free all-porcelain crowns. They are superior to metal-based crowns for many reasons.

Drawbacks of Porcelain-on-Metal Crowns

Each layer of healthy dentin and enamel in natural teeth contributes to their nuanced color variations, reflectiveness, and translucency. Mimicking these characteristics is part of the challenge of replacing a tooth with a crown.

Traditional porcelain-on-metal crowns are painted with an opaque material to cover their metal structure. Porcelain layered on top can be made to match the color of your teeth. Still, it won’t match the translucency because of the metal underneath. As your gum recedes over time, a fine black line will appear where the metal interior of the crown meets the gumline. That may not be a big deal in the back of your mouth, but it is quite obvious in the front of your mouth. Additionally, metal-based crowns can trigger tooth sensitivity to heat and cold.

It’s true that porcelain-on-metal crowns are strong—in fact, that’s their biggest benefit. But new all-porcelain crowns exhibit great resistance to bite force without the aesthetic drawbacks or risk of tooth sensitivity.

Metal-Free Porcelain Crowns

When all-porcelain crowns became available, they were known to break under bite stress, especially on back teeth, which do the most chewing work. However, technological advancements have produced stronger porcelain crowns that can bear intense bite forces while looking attractive and natural.

An all-porcelain crown will perfectly complement the shape of your other teeth. It will match them exactly, right down to the color gradient and glossy finish.

Procera Crowns

Procera crowns look exactly like real teeth. They reflect light the same way that natural teeth do, and they also perfectly mimic tooth color and translucency. Usually, we place these crowns on the teeth that are visible when you smile, where aesthetics are most important. They’re made of a resilient aluminum oxide ceramic base and then coated with porcelain.

With Procera crowns, it’s important that you take care not to stain them. That means avoiding certain foods and drinks, like berries and red wine. Brushing and flossing regularly will help keep your crowns looking beautiful.

e.max Crowns

A master ceramist creates e.max crowns by compressing lithium disilicate powder very tightly in a special machine. The pressure transforms the powder into a solid imitation tooth, one perfectly designed for your mouth. This method makes e.max crowns stronger than those made of fired ceramic.

e.max crowns are finished with a porcelain exterior. Like Procera crowns, e.max crowns look completely lifelike and are suitable for placing in the front of your mouth. They will match your other teeth perfectly, so no one will be able to tell the difference.

BruxZir Crowns

When repairing teeth that need to tolerate a lot of bite force, especially molars, we use BruxZir crowns. They’re made entirely of zirconia, a material so tough it’s sometimes called ceramic steel. These crowns have no porcelain overlay and won’t chip even under significant bite stress, making them suitable for people with bruxism.

Typically, zirconia crowns are the least lifelike of the porcelain crown options. However, BruxZir crowns are made with improved aesthetics in mind. Though they don’t offer the same shade nuance and translucency as e.max and Procera crowns, they’re still better looking than porcelain-on-metal crowns and traditional zirconia crowns.

To make an appointment and learn more about what kind of crown is best for you, please call 203-234-3900. You may also fill out this form, and we will call you.