Zirconia Crowns have several advantages of both traditional Gold Crowns and Porcelain.
Although Gold Crowns are well tolerated, last long and are a good technical choice, many consumers much prefer to have a natural effect that blends into the overall smile. Many also don’t want metal in their mouths.
In most cases the choice will be between a Porcelain Crown and a Zirconia Crown.
Zirconia Crowns have several advantages of standard Porcelain crowns.
Strength and Longevity: Zirconia is virtually indestructible whereas Porcelain crowns are prone to chipping. Crowns have a lifetime of around 10 years. Zirconia should last a lifetime.
Cosmetic: Have you ever seen people with a large unsightly black line above their gums? Up until recently most crowns are Porcelain which is Fused to a Metal base. Over time, the metal begins to show more and more and the restoration can look opaque and monochromatic, with the tell tale dark grey line at the crown join.
The Zirconia Crowns not only look more translucent, but are much stronger than the Porcelain fused to the Metal posts. The Zirconia crowns are milled from a single block of crystal and can be up to five times stronger than a porcelain / metal fuse.
Less tooth Removal: In cases where their is not much room for porcelain build up – for example if an tooth abutment is already quite bulky, a Zirconia Crown can be used because if provides more strength in less volume than a porcelain crown.
Disadvantages:
As with everything in life, all these benefits come with a price. One of the reasons that dentist still prefer working with gold is because it’s a relatively soft metal that gives. Zirconia is very tough, which is good until you consider the abrasive effect of the material against the other teeth, and onto the existing root. When the manufactures boast that their products are guaranteed for life, that again, seem like a good thing, until you realize, it’s often decay underneath the crown that causes the crown to fail, not the crown itself.
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