Fitting dental crowns is one of the solutions that a modern dentist may employ to restore the appearance and function of a tooth. The idea is not a new one; in fact the first evidence for the use of this type of restoration dates back to around 200 AD. At this time the Etruscans were already pioneering the use of crowns prepared from gold and their efforts even extended to some rudimentary bridgework.
In the dentist’s surgeries of today, fitting dental crowns is a daily activity and a variety of materials are now in common use for their construction. These structures are designed to encapsulate the remaining healthy tooth material which serves as an anchor and to which they are then attached by means of a strong adhesive. In selecting the material from which the prosthesis is to be made, the practitioner will be guided by a number of factors that include durability, aesthetics and the cost to the patient.
Even today dental crowns are often still made from gold although, in its pure form, the metal is quite soft and needs to be alloyed, often with several metals that may include two other noble elements; platinum and palladium as well as copper, tin and silver. To be durable, at least 60% of the crown material must be noble metal of which two thirds should be gold. Correctly proportioned, a gold crown provides the strongest of all the available options.
Other materials used in the construction of dental crowns are porcelain fused to metal (PFMs) and pure porcelain. Other metal may be uses to save costs and the cheapest of these is undoubtedly stainless steel that is still widely used in many of the Eastern bloc countries.
The use of porcelain is obviously motivated more by aesthetic concerns than longevity and thus they tend to fall mainly in the realm of the cosmetic dentist. The Dr. Ivan Marx group employs new CEREC equipment, the first of its kind in South Africa, to model and construct ready-to-fit porcelain dental crowns at the chairside within a matter of minutes.
In simple terms, they become necessary when the damage to a tooth is extensive. This could arise from a trauma that might have left a cusp broken off, for instance. On other occasions, it may be necessary to remove a rather large and older filling or perhaps to drill extensively in order to remove large areas of decay. In these situations, fitting dental crowns is often a far better option than attempting to fill the tooth.
Where the damage is less extensive and confined to the upper surface or bite area, a far less radical restoration is likely to be enough and the better solution might then be to apply an onlay. Onlays require less removal of healthy tooth material and, when well-matched are indistinguishable from the natural tooth.
While a general dentist is more likely, for speed and ease, to offer porcelain and metal dental crowns, a good cosmetic dentist will generally adopt the more exacting procedure required when providing a pure porcelain restoration to achieve an effective and attractive restoration.
Crowning a tooth will normally require a minimum of two appointments. The first, to make the initial impression needed by the dental mechanic as a template from which to construct the prosthesis and, normally, to fit a temporary crown to serve during the waiting period. Once the restoration is ready, a further appointment is then required to fit it.
If you would like to know more about dental crowns and the way that new technology and advances in dental implants can change your life then contact us.
|
