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Porcelain Crowns

Porcelain crowns are the types of crowns most people choose for their front teeth. They can be all porcelain (often called all ceramic) or they can be porcelain fused over a metal base, which is a little less expensive and a little sturdier. While any of these types of crowns can be used anywhere in the mouth, the ones most people prefer for their front teeth are the all ceramic or all porcelain crowns instead of porcelain over metal, or metal or gold crowns .

Your Very Best Smile with Porcelain Crowns

The porcelain crowns that are fused over a metal base are a little sturdier and less prone to chipping or breaking than all porcelain ones. But all porcelain is better for the front teeth when it comes to your smile and appearance. This is because sometimes with porcelain over metal, a very thin, dark line will appear at the base of the tooth where it meets the gum. This is the metal showing through.

For those who have porcelain over metal crowns and don‚’t see that line, it might never appear. But as we age our gums tend to recede a tiny bit, so the line might appear some time after the crown has been put on. And people who have gum problems or struggle with gingivitis and have receding gums because of it might have that line appear as well.

It‚’s not a problem with the crown or a mistake; it‚’s simply due to the way the crown is constructed. All porcelain crowns have a base that‚’s also made of porcelain instead of the metal so that dark line would not appear. If the gums recede a bit, only porcelain will show which blends in with the rest of the tooth and is indistinguishable.

Many people are unhappy with the dark line from the metal showing through and have their crowns replaced with all porcelain crowns later. So if you need a crown on a front tooth, you might consider going with all ceramic or all porcelain from the beginning and avoid any problems with a line showing later.

Color Matching with Porcelain Crowns

While some people opt for metal crowns especially for back teeth where they don‚’t show when they smile, porcelain crowns on front teeth offer the most natural and best appearance. This is because they can be colored to match the rest of your natural teeth.

Your dentist should discuss the different shades with you and may even give you a guide like the Vita Shade Guide so that you can choose a shade that you feel most closely matches your natural teeth. Even then, different colors are used to emulate the look of natural teeth, which aren‚’t the same exact shade over their entire surface. They‚’re also textured a bit to look like real teeth, giving your smile the most natural appearance possible.

If you think you might want to have teeth whitening, you should do it before choosing the color of your porcelain crowns so that you can get a perfect match, as the crown won‚’t lighten with the rest of your teeth should you opt to have teeth whitening later.