What is a Full Coverage Crown?
Simply put, a dental crown is designed to restore the structure and function of a tooth. Crowns are full-coverage dental restorations, meaning that a crown fully covers a tooth and restores it, strengthening the tooth and improving your smile while improving your ability to painlessly bite and chew a variety of foods.
Full coverage dental crowns can be used to repair or restore:
- A tooth that is broken, cracked, or fractured
- A decayed tooth or a tooth with a lost filling
- A substantial cavity
- A recurring cavity that has developed under an existing crown
- A missing tooth, when the crown is supported by a dental implant
While a crown can be used as a prosthetic, replacing an entire tooth – as is the case with dental implant-supported crowns – a crown can also be used to protect a natural tooth that is somehow compromised or vulnerable, restoring the function of the tooth while improving the appearance of the dentition. Full coverage crowns are custom-designed and fitted to match the surrounding teeth, and they are considered permanent dental restorations; if you lose a full-coverage crown, you’ll need to replace it in order to provide continued support and protection to the tooth.
To construct a full coverage crown, your dentist will first make an impression of the affected tooth and the surrounding area. Then, they will remove tiny amounts of dental enamel from the tooth, shaping the tooth so the crown will fit snugly over its surface and match its neighbors in alignment and position, before placing a temporary crown that protects the prepared tooth while the permanent crown is being crafted. This permanent crown is custom designed to match the natural teeth in color, luster, size, and shape, using the dental impression and measurements taken by the dentist. Once the permanent crown has been prepared, the temporary crown is removed, and the permanent crown is cemented into place.
Full coverage crowns can be made of a few different materials, largely depending on the preference of the patient. These materials include:
- Porcelain and ceramic
- Composite dental resin
- Metal
- Porcelain fused to metal
Porcelain and ceramic are the most natural-looking options for full coverage crowns, making them an ideal option for teeth in the “smile zone” in the front of the mouth, and they’re a particularly good option for people with metal allergies. They’re not as strong as their metal counterparts, however, and aren’t usually advised for the molars or other high-use teeth. Resin is a less expensive material, and it can still look lifelike; however, it isn’t as strong as ceramic or porcelain and is more prone to wear and breakage. The strongest crowns are made of metal. Dentists use medical-grade metals and amalgams to build dental crowns of superlative strength, as durable metals like chromium, gold, and palladium are incredibly durable and highly unlikely to fracture or chip. Because metal crowns are metal-colored, however, they’re not usually preferred for the front of the mouth, where they’d be visible, but their strength makes them an excellent option for molars. Many patients find a happy medium with full coverage crowns made of porcelain fused to metal, or PFM, which combine the durability of metal with the visual appeal of porcelain. These crowns are made of a metal core with a porcelain outer layer, giving them a natural appearance with some extra strength. The primary downside to PFM crowns is that the metal can become visible if the gum tissue recedes or thins, which can happen naturally as a person ages.
Your dentist can review the specifics of full coverage crowns if you’re considering the procedure, explaining the pros and cons of each material and outlining the procedure and overall cost. A consultation is the first step, so call your dentist today to talk about full coverage crowns and other options for broken, damaged, or missing teeth.
Related Article: How Long Do Full Coverage Crowns Last?