Choosing the Right Type of Crown For Your Teeth

If you’ve been to the dentist regularly, you’ve likely seen someone with a crown or at least have a good idea of a dental crown. Dental crowns are important dental appliances that protect a tooth after it has been cracked or broken. You should realize that crowns can be made of different materials, and the material you choose can impact how the crown looks and performs. Depending on where the crown is located, the material you should pick is different.

When you come into the dental office, we’ll work with you to pick the right option that works for your situation, but it helps to know how the different materials work and why certain ones are better suited to certain situations.

Differences in Dental Crowns

Crowns are made the same regardless of the material used, but the material impacts whether a crown should be placed on a certain tooth.

The primary factor determining what material should be used in your crown is what tooth it will be placed on. Modern dentists use two different types of materials in their crowns. The two materials are metal and composite resin.

Composite resin is an easily moldable material used in different dental appliances. One of the benefits of having a crown made of composite resin is that it can be tinted to match the natural tooth color. Patients having one of their front teeth fitted with a crown should choose this material if they are worried about the crown is visible.

Metal crowns are not as malleable and cannot be tinted but are many times more durable than composite resin. Dentists will recommend that crowns placed on the back teeth be made of metal because of the force applied to the teeth when chewing. Since the back teeth are less visible, most patients will choose a metal crown so that it lasts longer.