A crown is designed to cover an entire tooth for various reasons:

• Teeth with root canal treatment
• Cracked teeth
• Large cavities that cannot be adequately restored with a filling

Porcelain fused to metal

Pros:

• Very strong

• Able to closely resemble natural appearance of original tooth, but depends on several factors

Cons:

• Allergy to certain metals poses a periodontal problem in some patients

• No natural translucency due to solid metal lining

• Metals can result in a gray halo effect on the gums near the edge of a crown.

• Separation of porcelain from the metal is the most common failure

Metal-free Ceramic Crowns

One of the most exciting advances in dentistry is the use of all ceramic crowns. By removing the metal, you can have a crown that mimics the appearance and beauty of a natural tooth.

Pros:

• Very strong

• Near indistinguishable from natural teeth when proper materials and techniques are used

• Translucency mimics natural tooth structure

• No metal eliminates possible allergic reaction or dark line (from the metal) around gum line

Full Gold Crowns

Pros:

• Very strong

• Body tolerates the material very well

Cons:

• Gold color is unacceptable for some

• Recent rise in gold prices has increased the cost of this restoration dramataically