Dental Crowns – The Ultimate Guide

Dental crown is a dental restoration which can be placed on dental implants or natural tooth. It covers the tooth completely and protects tooth from further decay.

Who are the Candidates of Dental Crowns?

Patients who have large cavities might prefer dental crowns. Firstly, they prefer to have root canal treatment, when it is done successfully they should cover it with a dental crown.

Patients who have dental implants may use dental crowns on top of implants. Dental implant treatment is used when patient had to extract the natural tooth. In this case, crown can be placed 2-3 months after the dental implant procedure has completed.

What is the Procedure Like?

Dental crowns are made by an impression of the tooth. Once crown is ready, it is placed on dental implant or natural tooth according to the situation. Placing dental crown should be made 2-3 months after the implant procedure and if the natural tooth will be used as a base, dentist should clean the tooth and remove any decayed parts of it. Once the crown is placed, final touches are made, and the crown becomes ready to use right away.

There Are Many Types of Dental Crowns Available

All porcelain dental crowns are made of porcelain thus they look like as if they were patient’s natural teeth. That is why all porcelain crowns are preferred by patients because of aesthetical pleasing. In addition, porcelain do not cause allergic reactions as it is a biocompatible material. However, because of all these advantages, all porcelain crowns are more expensive. You pay more money and you have crowns that are more fragile than others. Besides, patients who have porcelain crowns can face problems such as sensitivity more than other because of tendency of porcelain to expand or shrink when faced very hot or cold food.

Porcelain fused to metal crowns look natural as all porcelain crowns and they are more durable. Because of the metal that is used, price decreases and they still provide good-looking teeth with improved durability. If a back tooth is treated, there is no problem with porcelain fused metal crowns, yet if a front tooth is the case, the dark line where the metal and porcelain meet can create problem.

Zirconia dental crowns are ceramic crowns which is very durable. Zirconia crowns have all advantages that porcelain crowns have such as looking natural and being biocompatible. Nevertheless, they are very expensive which is the disadvantage of zirconia dental crowns.

The Recovery Period is Not Restrictive at All

Dental crowns do not need recovery period. Once they are placed, you can go back to your daily life like nothing happened.

You Won’t Notice It After a While

Once you get used to have dental crowns in your mouth, you will forget that you have crowns. They will be like your natural teeth and no one will notice the difference.

Crown Prices Vary from Country to Country

Prices of crowns are mostly affordable, yet they still change from country to country. For porcelain fused metal crowns, paying around €150 is enough in Turkey whereas in US prices may go up as high as €500-€1000.

Dental Crowns Last a Great Deal of Time

You can use your dental crowns for at least 5-10 years. If you care for them properly, crowns may last more than 15 years.

Alternatives are Available

If crowns are too expensive for you, you might consider having dental bridges or inlays/onlays. You can find out which option is best for you by consulting an expert.