Dental crowns save teeth. They also restore teeth to near perfection. If your dentist informs you that you need a crown or two, or you have a tooth that just fractured and has exposed the pulp of a tooth, you need to crown it right away. Your dentist will undoubtedly give you options for the crown materials, but facing four different options may be daunting.
How do you know what to choose? Can you afford one option more than the others? How long will each type of crown last? Based on the material type, here are your answers to those questions.
Resin Crowns
Resin crowns are the cheapest. If you do not have dental insurance, resin crowns are the most affordable option for immediately addressing a broken tooth. Typically, you can expect to spend around three to five hundred dollars out of pocket for a resin crown. Unfortunately, resin crowns are also the least durable. You will have to replace a resin crown after just a few years, possibly sooner, if you grind your teeth at night.
Ceramic Crowns
Ceramic crowns are the next cheapest, typically costing close to a thousand dollars. Sadly, ceramic crowns break a lot. They do not last very long, and you may have to replace these in a few years as well. The only upshot is that they look and feel more like teeth than the resin crowns do.
Porcelain Crowns
Porcelain crowns most closely resemble natural teeth. They also are the most durable of crown materials. Most dentists recommend the porcelain crowns to patients who grind their teeth because the porcelain is able to withstand a lot of pressure without cracking or fracturing. Without insurance, porcelain crowns will cost between a thousand and two thousand dollars.
Metal Crowns
Metal crowns are crafted from steel, silver, and/or gold. While hip-hop artists may prize the look of a metal crown, they are not exactly considered attractive by the rest of the population. However, metal crowns cost the most, and they last the longest. If you are crowning a rear molar, a tooth not that many people will see, then you might want to consider a metal crown. People who have metal crowns never have to replace them.
The Longest-Lasting Combo Material Crown
The most expensive crowns are made from semi-precious stones, but there are almost no dentists that work with those materials. Instead, if you do not want people to notice a metal crown, your dentist can create a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown. This is a shapeless crown made of metal with a tooth-shaped wrap made from porcelain. They cost close to three thousand dollars, but your crowned tooth never need recrowning and it always looks like a natural tooth.
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