The different techniques used to restore teeth function and improve their appearance are considered the most common procedures of cosmetic dentistry. Among the most demanded and traditional procedures, the dental crowns and bridges can be included.
Dental crowns are fixed prosthetic devices which are placed over a tooth to restore it. By using a dental crown, the dentist can restore a tooth’s shape, size, alignment, strength or improve its appearance.
Dental crowns can also be used to cover an implant, give it a more natural appearance and improve its functionality. Due to their popularity and success, there are many types of materials available to create dental crowns; for example, gold, metal alloys, acrylic and ceramic.
According to Colgate experts, the Zirconium Dental Crowns are, as their name says, a type of cosmetic crowns which are made with Zirconium or Zirconia (a metal of the titanium family) and not like other traditional types of crowns which are made with fusions between porcelain and some metals.
Zirconium is a widely known material, and it is used for its durability, which makes it ideal to create dental crowns, especially posterior crowns that require a lot of strength for chewing and grinding food.
One of the main advantages of Zirconium dental crowns is that they are cheaper than traditional or ceramic crowns. This is due to the fact that Zirconium crowns can be manufactured in the dentist office by milling a Zirconium block with a computerized cutting machine (CAD CAM) into the shape of the patient's tooth, thus avoiding the expenses derived from external services.
The strength of Zirconium is another important advantage of this type of crowns. The patient will obtain a long-lasting result, and it can cover and improve the aspect of the posterior teeth with a good material.
Another important advantage of Zirconium dental crowns is that the dentist can make and adjust them during the first consultation, so the patient usually needs to go to the dentist's office just one day, he/she makes the crown, place it over the teeth and the fit of the crown is perfect. In other terms, the patient goes out from the dentist’s office with a new smile in the first consultation.
One of the main disadvantages of Zirconium dental crowns is the fact that Zirconium is not as translucent as ceramic or porcelain, so they might look a little different to the other teeth. However, the experts are studying the way to improve the color and look of this type of crowns, so it is expected that in a few years this will not be a problem.
You may need to use Zirconium dental crowns over a weak tooth to protect it and to prevent it from breaking, to restore a tooth that has broken already or that it has worn down, to bring support to a thin tooth with a large fill, to bring support to dental bridges, to cover a discolored or misshapen tooth, to cover a dental implant, among others.
Likewise, some experts say that you can also use a Zirconium dental crown just to perform a cosmetic modification, and they are highly recommended for covering the posterior teeth. However, to obtain only aesthetic changes, the experts recommend to use other materials and devices, such as ceramic or porcelain crowns and veneers to obtain more natural results.
The Zirconium dental crowns don't need a special care. You only have to brush and floss your teeth as your dentist recommend and as you usually do. However, it is important to use a good toothbrush to remove all the bacteria from the teeth, tongue, cheeks and gum.
It is important to remember that you must follow all the dentist recommendations to maintain the results of the procedure as long as possible and to show a beautiful and healthy smile.
The cost of a zirconium dental crown can widely vary according to the number of crowns that will be used, the size of the crowns, the type of restoration that the patient needs, the number of sessions that will be needed to finish the procedure, the need for additional treatments, among others. The brand will be one of the price component but the average price in the USA is around 3000 $ in some dental clinics while it is around 900 € for instance for the starting price only.
