Advantages of Zirconia Crowns
If you have a tooth that is wearing down, chipped, or cracked, your dentist will likely recommend capping it with a dental crown. Dental crowns are also commonly used with dental implants to replace missing or decayed teeth. They can also be used as anchors for dental bridges and partial dentures. Porcelain and gold have long been the traditional materials for dental crowns. Porcelain crowns can also give a more natural look but is more prone to chipping. Gold crowns do not look natural and can produce negative allergic reactions. Crowns can also be made of zirconium. Zirconium crowns produce a great, natural look and do not bring uncomfortable side effects.
What is Zirconium?
Zirconium is a strong type of crystal that has quite a few favorable qualities. Crystal is known for being long-lasting and indestructible. Zirconium is no different. Besides its strength and durability, zirconium is also compatible with the human body, making its use popular in the medical field.
The Primary Benefits and Advantages of Zirconia Crowns
The major advantages and benefits of zirconium include:
- Aesthetically pleasing- Zirconium crowns are translucent made from crystal. The clear, translucent appearance of zirconium allows for the perfect tooth coloring that best matches your natural tooth color, better than gold or porcelain crowns. No metal is needed. Unlike gold or porcelain crowns, zirconium crowns do not require to be fused with a metal base which make traditional crowns more noticeable.
- Durability- Being made of crystal, zirconium is almost indestructible, easily withstanding the most vigorous chewing and biting. Zirconium is five times as strong as porcelain. Zirconium crowns are milled in a way that they are nearly indestructible. They are also resistant to both extreme hot and cold temperatures, which lowers the frequency of tooth hypersensitivity that is common with other types of crowns.
- Biocompatibility- Because your body will not reject the zirconium, there is a lower chance of infections, complications, pain, discomfort, and allergic reactions to your crown.
- Cover Tooth Damage- Zirconium is preferred over porcelain in covering up and hiding tooth damage caused by fractures or staining.
- Life Expectancy- Going along with the durability, zirconium crowns also last longer than porcelain crowns. This is due to zirconium being more resistant to chipping and cracking.
- Easy to Work With- Can be easily modified, shaped, and colored. Despite their strong structure, zirconium crowns can be easily shaped, sized, and colored to match your natural teeth. It is thought that the malleable nature of zirconium crowns can produce crowns that are shaped better than the original crown that it replaces. The ability to create the perfect shape, size and color produces a much better, more natural look for you.
- Less Prep Work- Less tooth structure needs to be removed. Usually, when a crown is placed, a layer of the original tooth is removed for the crown to fit over it properly. The strength of zirconium means that a thinner layer of it is required for the final crown. A thinner crown means less of the original tooth needs to be removed. Zirconium crowns give you the comfort, security, feel, durability, and appearance of natural teeth.