Are you in need of a dental crown in order to repair one of your teeth, and you are considering a zirconia dental crown? If so, it helps to know more about this type of crown so that you can pick between all your options. 

Why Use A Zirconia Crown

Many dental patients decide to get a zirconia crown because they have an allergic reaction to metal and cannot put a metal alloy or porcelain-fused-to-metal crown in their mouth. There are no known materials in a zirconia crown that cause issues with sensitivity in dental patients, making it a solid choice if that is a concern to you. 

In addition, those crowns with a metal backing typically have a small amount of metal that is visible underneath the edges of the crown. If your gums recede over time, that metal edge would become more visible to others. If your crown is made out of zirconia, there is not going to be a metal backing that can be exposed.

A zirconia crown is going to be extremely strong, and it will be very difficult for the material to fracture or chip. It is bonded to your tooth using dental cement, so the bond will be just as strong as any other dental crown.

When Zirconia Crowns Are Recommended

There are a few instances where your dentist may actually recommend a zirconia crown over the other options. Zirconia is commonly used for posterior crowns, which is when the dentist needs to fill the root of a tooth with a post to support the crown due to not having any surrounding tooth material to bond the crown to. The strength of zirconia crowns also make them great for patients that have a teeth grinding problem. The crown can take on more wear and tear than other crowns, which means that the dental patient will have fewer complications with the zirconia crown chipping or breaking. 

If you need to have a dental bridge placed in your mouth, zirconia can be used for the crowns that need to attach to both sides of the gap. The zirconia crown is very thin and requires much less clearance to fit in your mouth. This makes it ideal for situations where a patient needs a dental bridge but their teeth are very tight against each other when installing the crown on the surrounding healthy teeth. 

Contact a dentist to learn more about dental crowns.