If a severely damaged tooth needs to be saved, this is often possible by placing a crown on it. In this procedure, we replace the damaged natural tooth crown with an artificial crown. This restores the tooth’s stability, allowing you to bite down again without any discomfort.
All-ceramic crowns or crowns with a ceramic veneer are designed to look strikingly similar to natural teeth. This allows us to fully restore the tooth’s original appearance. You’ll receive a durable and aesthetically pleasing dental restoration. The damaged tooth can often be preserved for many years or even decades.
What Are Dental Crowns?
Artificial dental crowns serve as a replacement for the natural tooth crown when it has lost its stability. They are used to preserve a damaged or unstable tooth over the long term. To place a crown, the dentist grinds down a large portion of the remaining tooth structure, places the crown over the tooth like a protective cap, and bonds it securely to the tooth.
The crowns are custom-made in the laboratory and tailored to the natural shape and color of the tooth. This ensures that your smile remains flawless. A well-made dental crown is visually indistinguishable from the surrounding teeth.
When are dental crowns used?
We use dental crowns in Zurich for a wide variety of purposes. They are often used to preserve and stabilize damaged teeth. However, they can also be used preventively to protect weak teeth from damage.
In some cases, dental crowns also serve an aesthetic purpose. For example, they can restore the appearance of severely discolored teeth. The pros and cons must be carefully weighed in such cases, as some tooth structure is always lost when a dental crown is placed.
Another important application is in dental prosthetics. Dental crowns are used, for example, to secure bridges, clasp-retained dentures, and telescopic dentures. To do this, the healthy abutment teeth are crowned and then serve as anchors for the dental prosthesis.
What materials are dental crowns made of?
Artificial dental crowns are usually made of metal, ceramic, or a composite of several materials. A common example is the metal-ceramic crown, which features a sturdy metal core and a tooth-colored ceramic veneer. Solid-cast crowns, such as gold crowns, are rarely used today.
At our dental practice in Zurich, we also offer all-ceramic dental crowns. Ceramic crowns offer the advantage of being completely metal-free and biocompatible. Additionally, less natural tooth structure needs to be removed to fit them.
From an aesthetic standpoint, ceramic crowns are a particularly high-quality solution, as they are virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth even upon close inspection. Unlike metal-ceramic crowns, no dark metal edges can show through. This makes them a particularly suitable solution for the visible front teeth.
How does the dental crown procedure work?
If you are scheduled to receive a crown, your dentist in Zurich will first advise you on the different types of dental crowns available. Together, you will select the most suitable option. The planning is based on a dental impression or a digital 3D scan, which allows the dentist to precisely tailor the crowns to your natural teeth.
FAQ
A dental crown is recommended when the tooth root is still stable but the natural crown has already sustained significant damage. In such cases, the artificial crown restores stability and protects the tooth from further damage. A dental crown may also be necessary to secure a bridge or denture.
All-ceramic dental crowns are metal-free and biocompatible. They look more like natural teeth than any other material. A well-made ceramic crown looks strikingly similar to natural tooth structure and feels just the same when speaking and chewing. Visible metal edges are avoided. The crown is placed with minimal removal of tooth structure.
All three types of dental restorations are used when a simple filling is no longer sufficient to treat the tooth. They differ in size and in the extent of the tooth structure they replace.
An inlay is a filling that is usually made of all-ceramic material and replaces parts of the chewing surface. Onlays are partial crowns that additionally cover one or more cusps. A full crown completely covers the entire tooth.
A prerequisite for receiving a crown is that the tooth is worth saving—that is, it still has sufficient stability to support a crown. In the case of severely damaged teeth, a post may also be used in some circumstances to anchor the artificial crown.
With high-quality dental crowns and good oral hygiene, a lifespan of at least 10 years can be expected—and often significantly longer. Depending on the material chosen, the lifespan of the crown may vary from case to case.
The dental crown is firmly bonded to the tooth using dental cement or a dental adhesive. Depending on the material used, you can often eat and drink again right away, or at the latest after a few hours. If you received anesthesia, you should wait to eat until the anesthesia has completely worn off.
You should care for your new crowns just as you would your natural teeth. When brushing, pay special attention to the edge of the crown, as bacteria can easily accumulate there. In addition to your at-home oral care routine, we recommend regular professional dental cleanings.