DENTAL CROWN - DEFINITION

DEFINITION:  A crown is a replacement of  the actual crown of the tooth. I can be made or procelain, metal or PFM (porcelain fused to metal). It is made in a labratory where it is shipped to the dentist and then placed in the patients mouth on the prepared tooth surface using a cement to hold it in place.
What materials are available for dental crowns?
Metal: Metals used in crowns include gold alloy, or a base-metal alloy (for example, nickel or chromium). Compared with other crown types, less tooth structure needs to be removed with metal crowns, and tooth wear to opposing teeth is kept to a minimum. Metal crowns withstand biting and chewing forces well and probably last the longest in terms of wear down. Also, they rarely chip or break. The metallic color is the main drawback, that is why metal crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal: These dental crowns can be color matched to your adjacent teeth (unlike  metallic crowns). However, more wearing to the opposing teeth occurs with this crown type compared with metal crowns. The crown's porcelain portion can also chip or break off. Next to all-ceramic crowns, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns look most like normal teeth. However, sometimes the metal underlying the crown's porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line and even more so if your gums recede. These crowns can be a good choice for front or back teeth.
All-porcelain: This is the aesthetically most pleasing solution, as these crowns provide the best natural colour match. They are suitable for patients with metal allergies as well. However, they are not as strong as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns and they wear down opposing teeth a little more than metal crowns. They are a good choice for front teeth.