Zirconia vs Porcelain Crowns
A dental crown is a cover for a damaged tooth. It helps restore the normal shape, function, and size of the tooth. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), if you have a large filling but not enough tooth remaining to hold it, a crown can help strengthen the tooth.
Your dentist may also use a crown to:
- Restore a broken, cracked, or chipped tooth.
- Protect a weak tooth from breaking.
- Attach a dental bridge or dental implant.
- Protect a tooth following a root canal.
Dental crowns can be made from a variety of materials, some of which last longer than others.
The Different Materials Used for Dental Crowns
When selecting the material for your crown, your dentist might consider factors such as:
- The location of your tooth.
- how much of the tooth will show with your smile.
- The position of your gum tissue.
- The function of the tooth.
- How much natural tooth is remaining.
- The color of the surrounding teeth.
The different kinds of materials can be used in crowns include:
- porcelain
- ceramic
- zirconia
- metal
- composite resin
- a combination of materials
For example, you could have a porcelain crown that is fused to metal, as opposed to an all-porcelain crown.
The Difference Between Zirconia and Porcelain Crowns
Zirconia is a metal oxide derived from zirconium, a metal in the titanium family. Common household items such as dinnerware, pipes, and electrical fixtures are made from zirconia. Because of its natural strength and durability, zirconia is an ideal material for dental crowns. Porcelain fused to metal crowns are a combination of porcelain and metal. The porcelain overlay is color-matched to your natural teeth, but the darker metal color might show at the gum line, especially if your gums recede.
The Benefits of Zirconia versus Porcelain
Zirconia restorations have been used successfully for years and will provide you with excellent strength, durability, and a natural look. The demand for zirconia now exceeds the demand for porcelain.
- Natural Looking Smile- Zirconia contains no metal lining at the gums. Porcelain fused to metal crowns possess a metal layer underneath the porcelain layer. This metal lining is usually visible at the gum line and can be seen when you smile. Additionally, zirconia crowns can be manipulated to fit any size or shape to match the rest of your teeth.
- Exceptional Strength- Zirconia offers superior strength and durability for dental crowns. It is at least three times stronger than porcelain. Unlike porcelain, zirconia can withstand wear and tear without chipping, which is why zirconia restorations tolerate extreme chewing. Thanks to newer zirconia, single, solid blocks of zirconia, this type of crown is nearly unbreakable and built to withstand the biting and chewing pressures in the back of the mouth.
- Reliability and Durability- Zirconia is even more durable than the conventionally used ceramics. For instance, solid zirconia contains more stabilizers than porcelain ceramics, making it more durable to withstand forceful chewing and grinding. If properly maintained, zirconia restorations can last your lifetime.
- Customization- Due to a variety of factors including chemical composition and processing requirements, there are many ways zirconia can be manufactured to suit your needs. This customization minimizes the margin for error and ensures an excellent fit.
- Safer for Patients- The high biocompatibility of zirconia will not cause allergies if you have allergic reactions to porcelain restorations. In fact, zirconia possesses excellent biocompatibility, making the crowns and bridges prepared from zirconia extremely safe for clinical use inside your mouth.