A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap that covers an entire tooth to improve its appearance or restore it to health. They protect weak or broken teeth and cover root canal-treated teeth.

They’re fabricated using different types of porcelain with various translucencies to match the colour of your natural teeth. They’re also called PFM or VMK crowns.

Metal Crowns

Metal crowns are made from stainless steel and a variety of metal alloys. They are the strongest type of crown and last the longest in terms of wear. They also require less tooth reduction during placement, so they preserve more of a patient’s natural teeth. The main drawback to this type of crown is the metallic color that it has, which may not blend in with a patient’s natural teeth.

Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM) crowns have a metal base with porcelain fused on top, which helps them look more natural and provide strength. However, the dark metal can show through at the gum line and create a noticeable contrast.

Patients who have PFM dental crowns that are deteriorating or have been worn down should consider switching to ceramic or all-ceramic crowns. These types of crowns are fabricated using in-office Cerec milling units, and they offer less tooth reduction, better aesthetics, and a stronger bond to natural teeth.

Porcelain Crowns

Dental crowns are used to restore damaged teeth for a number of reasons. They strengthen and repair weakened or chipped teeth, improve the appearance of misshapen or severely stained teeth, and can support dental bridges to replace missing teeth.

Porcelain crowns are made from a strong, tooth-colored ceramic material that mimics the look of natural teeth. They are durable, stain resistant, and can be color matched to match the shade of your surrounding teeth.

Metal crowns, also called PFM (Porcelain Fused to Metal) or VMK (Vita Metal Keramik), have a core of metal alloys which is bonded to porcelain. They are stronger than porcelain-only crowns, but have a metallic color that some patients find less attractive. This type of crown may be better suited for out-of-sight molars. A zirconia core-only crown is a metal-free alternative and can be a good choice for people with sensitivities to metals. It has a translucent appearance that is similar to the enamel of your natural tooth.

Ceramic Crowns

A crown can repair a broken, chipped or cracked tooth and improve its cosmetic appearance at the same time. In fact, some patients prefer crowns made of ceramic material instead of traditional metal ones for this reason.

Dental ceramics are used in modern dentistry due to their superior strength, longevity and esthetics. Lithium disilicate (Emax) is a commonly used ceramic as it offers an optimal blend of all three properties.1 Zirconia, on the other hand, is known for its durability but does not offer such lifelike translucency as Emax.

Another type of ceramic crown is called porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM). This older style of crown has a metal foundation and a porcelain overlay. However, the outer layer can be visible and may interfere with the natural look of a tooth. PFM crowns have a lower survival rate than newer types of ceramic crowns and are rarely recommended today.2

Same Day Crowns

Same day crowns, also known as CAD/CAM crowns or CEREC crowns, are made with advanced computer technology. First, a digital scan of the tooth is uploaded into specialized software, which creates a virtual model of your teeth. This model is used to design a custom crown. The design is then sent to an on-site milling machine, which carves a custom crown from a block of restorative material.

The resulting crown is then sintered and polished before being bonded to the prepared tooth. The entire process takes just one appointment, saving patients time and effort.

Same day crowns are a lifesaver for people with busy schedules who need to look their best in a short period of time. They eliminate the need for messy impressions and temporary crowns, which can fall off under pressure or when eating. And, because they are designed to match the color and gloss of your natural teeth, no one will know that you have a crown on!