Everything You Need to Know About Zirconia Crowns

Dentistry has continuously evolved over the last fifty years. Dental care experts regularly work towards introducing profound materials that play a vital role in improving the dental restoration’s functionality and effectiveness. The dental crowns have been used in human dentistry for nearly more than two thousand years and at present they have undoubtedly become a versatile tool in the cosmetic and restorative dentist’s toolkit.

Modern patients and dentists prefer the most realistic esthetics and frequently opt for beautiful zirconia crowns. They can also be utilised to strengthen multiple teeth. Even Though the metal caps last for a long period of time and cause no damage to the surrounding teeth, they are highly conspicuous. Zirconia is prominently considered to be a metal. Even Though it is listed as a ceramic it has more of the characteristic features of metals. The restorations made from this all-ceramic material provides real teeth like texture, translucency and color that appears to be completely organic.

Types Of Zirconia Crowns

Due to its supreme strength and high durability, the Zirconia crowns are becoming more popular at present. In restorative and cosmetic dentistry practice, the Zirconium dental crowns play a prominent role. Dental experts state that the dental crowns offer the combination of mental stability and aesthetic appearance that is essential for dental restorations. They are majorly used to reinforce a broken or cracked tooth, restore a dental implant and also used to mask a severely stained or misshapen or shapeless tooth. The patients also feel super comfortable with all-ceramic zirconia dental crowns as these devices never transfer any kind of temperature fluctuations. The installation process of both the types of zirconia dental crowns is almost similar. The two prominent dental crowns are

• Monolithic Zirconium crowns
• Layered Zirconium crowns

These are the two major kinds of dental crowns that are utilized in various situations. The Monolithic Zirconium crowns are used for cosmetic situations and the other is used for high stress situations. The Zirconium crowns have only been mainstream for the last six years. Significantly, they have nearly replaced the alternative super strong all gold versions. With both Monolithic Zirconium crowns and Layered Zirconium crowns, we don’t need to worry about tartar and plaque accumulation as the crown would definitely possess a smooth and slick surface.

Monolithic Zirconium Crowns

The Monolithic Zirconium crowns basically contain zirconium oxide, a substance that renders it virtually unbreakable. This kind of extremely strong type of ceramic resists breaks, chips and stains.It is somewhat opaque yet can be color matched to the teeth perfectly. Due to the opacity, the monolithic restorations are placed in the back of the mouth. This kind of monolithic restorations are cad cam milled. From the digital files and datas created by the technician, the giant machines are used to create these little works of art. These expensive milling machines are widely used in various larger production dental laboratories. The small boutique labs are forced to contract them out. Gold crown is the only other crown that comes close to this immense and solid strength.

Layered Zirconium Crowns

As the name itself suggests, the layered restorations are made up with layered lithium disilicate ceramic on top of the coping. The layered porcelains offer them a realistic translucence that is required for restorations in the front of the mouth.The top layered ceramic is carried out in the same way as for ips e.max versions. All these versions contain sturdy covers overlain with layers of delicate and reflective porcelain. The manner in which the ceramist fabricates the cap will automatically influence its solid strength as well as the esthetics. The beautiful restorations can be made by a master ceramist without doubt. This layered version tends to be more susceptible to chipping when compared with PFM crowns. The pretty porcelain has more possibility to chip easily.

Advantages Of Zirconia Crowns

• Zirconia crowns are highly biocompatible and its smooth surface offers help in the reduction of plaque accumulation. The Layered zirconia crowns are well known for their durability. The porcelain used for the layering process does not have the strength of solid zirconium but they are specifically designed to bond with the zirconium substructure. The healthy tissue response is also promoted by this material.
• The zirconia crowns are extremely comfortable and user-friendly for the patients as the fact that they do not transmit hot and cold in the same way as conventional PFMs. With the help of Bisco’s Z-Prime Plus, the Zirconia crowns can be conventionally cemented in correct places. Then the application of a bonding agent of choice to prep which is followed by dual-cure resin cement.
• It is widely manufactured in numerous color shades and its translucent nature can also transmit the color of adjacent teeth. This makes the process easy to exactly match the color of the patient’s natural teeth. The precise fitting is provided to the patients by making use of computer-aided design and its accurate manufacturing processes. It greatly reduces the chair-side time which is required for providing adjustment and cementing the restorations.
• For patients who prefer to have metal-free restorations and want to get rid of metal allergies, Zirconia is the best suitable choice. The elimination of the possibility of metal margins which is greatly exposed due to the gum recession. The dental experts state that there are zero chances of allergic reactions caused by zirconia crowns during the course of usage.
• There are numerous ways in which Zirconia can be manufactured in order to suit the needs of the patients due to a lot of variety of factors that includes processing requirements and chemical composition. It immensely ensures excellent fit and minimizes the margin for error for each individual with its unique customization.

Disadvantages Of Zirconia Crowns

Like other dental procedures, there can be potential disadvantages in getting a zirconia crown. The opaque appearance of the zirconia crown is one its potential disadvantage which may make it appear less organic. This is specifically true when it comes to monolithic zirconia crowns. The hardness of the zirconia could cause wear and tear on opposing teeth and is one of the main reasons why numerous dentists are hesitating now-a-days.According to the reviews of the dental experts, the porcelain layer can make the dental crown a little more likely to delaminate or chip. This is something all the dental experts consider when it comes to dental crowns.

The Zirconia crowns possess minimal disadvantages comparatively. There is a concern about the toughness of the material that causes friction against the tooth and wearing down opposing teeth. The possibility of damage in the opposing teeth can be reduced with check-ups that are carried out frequently. Initially, only the bone-white substructures could be produced for the zirconia crowns. It creates problems in achieving an aesthetically perfect appearance of the teeth. You cannot whiten crowns because the substance which is used to make them does not whiten like natural teeth.