What are Crowns?

A crown artificially recovers or replaces the visible part of a tooth. Made of porcelain or a metal alloy which may or may not be covered with porcelain, it can be used for broken teeth, for teeth that have had root canal treatments or to replace large fillings in teeth. It partially or totally covers the weakened tooth and protects it in a permanent fashion. The picture on the right shows the before/after appearance of teeth replaced by ceramic/porcelain crowns - picture provided courtesy of Dr Richard Masek, email .

There are three basic types of crowns:

• porcelain - these crowns are best used for cosmetic replacement of teeth. Where front teeth have undergone destruction lost either due to a disease state (decay) or trauma, porcelain crowns can replace lost tooth tissue with remarkably lifelike replicas. Porcelain crowns are the work of master ceramicists working with dentists to produce the ultimate in tooth structure replacement. They are also used in conjunction with implants to replace missing front teeth.
• composite - these crowns are used predominantly as temporary solutions as they are weak and do not last long. If money is a factor, these are a good stop-gap measure till more expensive porcelain replacements can be used. If done well a composite crown can look very lifelike.
• gold - gold crowns are used to replace tooth structure lost or damaged in back teeth. Gold tends to last the longest due to the inertness of the metal in the moist environment of the mouth. If taken good care of, gold crowns can last a lifetime - whereas porcelain can look quite dull with age.
  
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