It’s truly remarkable how much dental technology has advanced over the past several years. Thanks to those advancements, today’s dentists have many more options when it comes to the dental material they use for dental appliances such as crowns. One of those materials that is gaining in popularity is zirconia, which is a titanium-like metal commonly available throughout the world. Zirconia is used in a variety of other products – from jewelry to electrical fixtures – due in large part to its strength and durability. Those two characteristics also make it an excellent choice for dental crowns.
Zirconia crowns are becoming more commonly used by dentists who offer same-day crowns. In this procedure, the dentist employs cutting-edge technology to create a permanent crown for the patient right in the dental office, while the patient waits. Zirconia provides several advantages to both the patient and the dentist.
- Zirconia is a good choice for same-day crown procedures since it can easily be formed into a custom-made, permanent crown for the patient in a single visit to the dental office. This means the patient doesn’t have to return for a second trip to the dentist, making it much more convenient and time-saving. And the ability to create a permanent crown in-house means that the dentist and his staff can be more self-sufficient and reduce the need to work with an outside dental lab.
- Zirconia is typically a less expensive material for the dentist than some others, and the dentist office usually passes along those savings to their patients.
- Although porcelain crowns are often preferable because of their appearance, zirconia is sometimes an excellent choice for crowns in the back of the mouth due to its strength and durability. Zirconia may not be as natural-looking as porcelain, but researchers are working on improving the appearance of zirconia, so that may not be an issue in the near future.
Zirconia is only one of many materials available to modern-day dentists. This metal is especially desirable due to its strength and durability, and because of its compatibility with the equipment used in same-day crown procedures. But there are a variety of other crown materials available as well. To find out more about the crown options available thanks to advancements in dental technology, talk to your dentist. He or she can tell you more about the advantages and disadvantages of each type of crown, and can help you decide which choice is right for you.
