Can Zirconia Crowns Crack
A dental crown is a permanent dental restoration that is used to restore a tooth that has severe decay, has been treated with a root canal, has been fractured, or otherwise compromised. A tooth that has endured root canal treatment can become brittle overtime so it is important that the tooth is treated with an appropriate restoration to ensure the integrity of the tooth for years to come. A dental crown may also be used to replace a very large, old filling that has recurrent decay or fractured. Typically, most dental crowns are fabricated using porcelain but another material is available for patients who need a stronger restoration. Zirconia is one of the strongest materials available and with proper care and maintenance, can last up to 20 years.
What is Zirconia?
Zirconia is a material derived from zirconium dioxide which is a metal oxide in the titanium family. The strength and durability of zirconia is thanks to its tetragonal crystalline properties which allow dental restorations to be fabricated without the use of a metal substructure, providing an aesthetically pleasing and natural-looking restoration.
Even though zirconia crowns have not been around very long, since about 2010, studies estimate the longevity of zirconia at about 20 years. The actual length of time a patient is able to keep a restoration depends on their oral health and maintenance routines.
Types of Zirconia Crowns
Zirconia is growing in popularity for dental crowns so your dentist may suggest a type of zirconia crown for your restoration. There are actually a number of different types of zirconia crowns available, let's take a closer look!
Full-contour zirconia is usually used on teeth that take a lot of force during biting, chewing, and bruxism, like the posterior teeth. Bruxism is the unconscious clenching and/or grinding that a lot of us do in our sleep. It can cause a lot of damage to teeth so a dental restoration needs to be strong enough to endure bruxism without fracturing.
Full-contour translucent zirconia is reserved for teeth that are not subject to a great amount of force from biting or grinding and are often used on the anterior teeth due to their high quality aesthetics.
Porcelain-fused-to-zirconia is another type of full-contour crown but has an underlying metal base that provides additional support to the structure of the tooth and the zirconia. This combination of materials gives the tooth a great amount of resistance to wear and tear and is still aesthetically pleasing.
One advantage of zirconia is its strength and durability. When a tooth in the back of your mouth needs a crown, it is important that the material is very strong because our posterior teeth take on a lot of force when we chew food. The strength of zirconia is such that your Dentist will not have to prepare as much of your tooth as they may need to with other materials which allows them to leave more natural tooth structure. Zirconia also has great biocompatibility and is less likely to cause a reaction from the patient's body or immune system, even in patients with metal allergies. Your Dentist will help you decide if a zirconia crown is the right material for your restoration.