New Zirconia Crowns, Bridges, and Implant Posts
Tooth colored crowns and bridges were traditionally made by fusing porcelain to a metal base. We enjoy better esthetics by bonding porcelain to a zirconia base, which is translucent to better match natural teeth. Porcelain looks great, but a rare patient creates chewing forces great enough to fracture porcelain. Now we can offer crowns for posterior teeth that are digitally milled from blocks of zirconia, so there is no risk of fracturing porcelain. The zirconia material is available in 8 shades, but we still prefer porcelain for front teeth, for optimal flexibility with color, glazing, and characterization.
Zirconia Implant Posts
Dental implants are usually titanium roots to replace natural tooth roots. Titanium posts are attached to root form implants, then a crown or bridge is made to cement to the post. Titanium posts are strong, but they can cause a dark color behind the gums and present a dark color that must be masked under tooth colored crowns. Custom milled zirconia posts also very strong, and they are white, so they are preferred for replacement of teeth when gums or teeth are exposed when you smile. The post shown in the picture above was covered with a porcelain fused to zirconia crown for optimum esthetics.
by Keith Collins, DMD
