Dental Crowns and Caps

Dental crowns and caps are replacements for damaged and missing teeth. Dental crowns and caps are common terms that both describe the top of the tooth above the root. The dental crown replaces the visible part of the tooth. When the tooth's root is missing or must be replaced dental implants provide a permanent artificial tooth root and a dental bridge allow one or more crowns to be placed between existing teeth.

Types of dental crowns

There are generally three types of crowns: those made of gold, all-ceramic caps and ceramic veneered gold crowns. Gold and metal-ceramic crowns are durable and are normally used on molars, where the forces from chewing and grinding are most prevalent. Ceramic crowns are used primarily for front teeth, since they can best resemble the natural tooth color and are more pleasing to the eye.

All-ceramic dental crowns

The most attractive, natural, and life-like crowns are those that reflect light like a healthy natural tooth. Dental crown materials that more closely match the light refraction index of a natural tooth will appear close to if not exactly like an adjacent natural tooth. This should be true in different light settings, meaning sun light, fluorescent and incandescent indoor light, as well as night club lighting. The all-ceramic crown is the best choice for achieving the most natural looking tooth replacement.

Porcelain crowns fused to gold

For a very natural appearance and added strength porcelain crowns fused to gold offer a solution for more natural looking artificial teeth for dental molars towards the back of the mouth. These crowns have a metal substructure and require an opaque below the porcelain. This makes the translucency of natural teeth difficult to match.

Dental crowns made of gold

Gold dental crowns are used when appearance is not a priority to you. Gold is extremely workable, making gold crowns fit better than any other type of crown. While there exists a slight possibility of chipping with porcelain crowns, gold crowns provide no such possibility.

Call our Sterling dentist office to learn more about dental crowns. Call for an appointment today!