Pros and cons regarding Zirconia Ceramic Crowns and PFM Crowns

Pros and cons regarding Zirconia Ceramic Crowns and PFM Crowns

Zirconia crowns are highly biocompatible, as the smooth surface helps to reduce plaque accumulation. Layered zirconia crowns are highly durable. Even though the porcelain used for layering does not have the strength of solid zirconia, they are designed to bond with the zirconium substructure, making chipping or fracturing extremely rare. The material also promotes a healthy tissue response Zirconia is suitable for patients with metal allergies or who would prefer to have metal-free restorations. Zirconia is metal-free, preventing darkening around the gingival margin in patients with thin biotypes. This eliminates the possibility of metal margins becoming exposed due to gingival recession. The translucent nature of this material can transmit the color of adjacent teeth, and it is manufactured in a wide variety of shades, making it easy to match the color of the patient’s natural teeth accurately. Computer-aided design and manufacturing processes provide patients with a precise fit, thus reducing the chairtime required to adjust and cement these restorations. Zirconia crowns are comfortable for patients as they do not transmit hot and cold like conventional PFMs. The disadvantages of zirconia crowns are minimal. The material’s toughness has raised some concerns about friction against the tooth root and wearing down opposing teeth. However, frequent check-ups help reduce the possibility of damaging opposing teeth. Initially, only bone-white substructures could be produced for zirconia crowns, sometimes creating problems in achieving an aesthetically-perfect appearance. However, the newer materials are pre-shaded and can be fabricated to provide highly aesthetic and natural-looking restorations with minimal tooth reduction, thus meeting or even exceeding patient demands for high-quality work! The need for zirconia far exceeds the demand for PFMs, and these older-style restorations are becoming a thing of the past.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal (or “PFM” crowns) have both the strength of metal and the esthetics of porcelain. They are dental crowns that are fabricated from metal and then covered with a thin layer of porcelain. Many patients are worried about metal content in PFM crowns. While safe for most patients, some patients with certain metal sensitivities to chromium, nickel, or stainless steel could have adverse reactions to PFM crowns that are cast using these types of metals or alloys, but in general PFM crowns are safe and commonly used.

The metal, supportive base of a PFM crown gives your restored tooth greater biting power, and prevents chips or cracks better than an all-porcelain crown. In addition, metal crowns in time might disrupt the natural smile and can give distinction between restored and unrestored teeth. PFM crowns are ideal for back teeth in order to maintain a natural looking smile PFM crowns, unfortunately cannot usually mimic the natural transparency of a tooth because of the opaque metal base underneath the porcelain layer. So while the color of the PFM crown may completely match your teeth’s natural color, the tooth may appear more flat or opaque than nearby teeth. In case when there are no natural teeth in the jaw the difference of PFM crown and natural teeth are invisible, because PFM crowns are manufactured in a wide variety of shades, making it easy to match the color of a natural teeth. PFM crowns can last longer than Zirconia Crowns whose average lifespan is 10-15 years.