We discussed implants in part one of our Guide to Common Dental Procedure Series, so it only makes sense to talk about crowns next. In simplest terms, a crown is an artificial tooth. There are two basic types: one that is made to replace one that you have lost and one that covers a weak or damaged tooth.
In some cases, if you have a broken tooth that needs strengthening, a crown will be created to fit over it and provide protection and support.
What is a Crown?
A crown is an artificial tooth created to replace a damaged or missing tooth. If your tooth has a healthy root but the enamel is cracked or damaged, a crown can be made to fit over the damaged tooth.
Crowns can be used for cosmetic reasons if the natural tooth is unsightly. Still, they can also protect the integrity of a tooth with its structural integrity weakened by a root canal or large fillings. Left untreated, this tooth can break when you chew hard foods or grind your teeth at night.
In the case of a missing tooth, a crown can be attached to a titanium or zirconium implant to maintain your smile’s form and function.
Procedure 1: Abutment Crown
When It’s Used
The term abutment crown is misleading because it isn’t a crown. It is the metal piece that connects the post that has been implanted in your jaw to the artificial tooth. An abutment crown is used whenever you have a dental implant with an attached crown. (To learn about implants, click here.)
What is Involved
The crown abutment is attached to the post right before the crown as part of the same procedure. In the image below, the abutment is the shiny metal piece above the ‘screw’ and below the crown.
How Long It Takes
The placement of abutment crowns is generally done during either the surgical or final visit, so it does not significantly add time to the procedure.
Cost Comparison
In the US, an abutment crown can cost between $700 and $2,000, compared to $750 in Costa Rica or Mexico.
Procedure 2: Porcelain, Emax, and Zirconia Crowns
When It’s Used
Porcelain crowns are inexpensive options made from white ceramic that mimic the look of natural teeth. They have been around since the late 1800s and were a good option for people who were allergic to metal. They are used for crowns over natural teeth.
Zirconia is a ceramic material made from zirconium oxide that is so hard and durable that it can last up to 40 years with proper care. It is white, resistant to acid corrosion, and smooth enough to prevent the formation of bacterial plaque. It can also be used over natural teeth. Crowns that will be attached to implants are usually made of zirconia. Zirconia is the preferred material for bridges in the back of the arch.
Emax is a brand name for lithium disilicate. This highly durable glass-ceramic material is more robust than your natural teeth and, therefore, less likely to chip or crack the way a traditional porcelain crown would. The material is also slightly translucent, just like your natural enamel, and can be tinted to match your existing teeth. It is most often used for small bridges in the anterior or front of the arch (Pontic Emax- see below) or for crowns on implants, but it can also be used over natural teeth.
What is Involved
As porcelain is a ceramic material, these crowns can be made using a mold and then fired or milled. In either case, the natural tooth must be filed and cleaned, and then an impression of the tooth is made. Once created, the crown is carefully painted or detailed to match the neighboring teeth.
Two methods are used to create a crown from Emax material: pressing the overheated material into a mold or milling it using a cutting and/or grinding tool. Zirconium crowns must be milled from a block.
In order to make a crown that fits precisely, we take digital scans of your teeth and a physical mold of your teeth to use as a reference. Then, our artists get to work, ensuring that your crown blends perfectly into your smile.
How Long It Takes
Traditionally, making a porcelain crown could take up to two weeks since the impression would have to be shipped to a lab, where it could be made into a mold, filled with porcelain, fired and glazed, and then painted. Modern technology now allows us to digitally design and mill blocks of porcelain in our own laboratory. That means you can now have a porcelain crown in as little as three or four days.
If you want implants put in and then crowns made to attach to the implants, the procedure includes surgery, and you will need to factor in healing time. Click to read Part 1 of the series and learn more about implants.
However, if you already have the implants, are getting a crown placed on an existing tooth, or require a replacement crown, they can be made within 3-4 days.
Cost Comparison
In the US, a porcelain crown can cost between $800 and $3000 per tooth. In Costa Rica or Mexico, that price is $500.
In the US, one Emax dental crown can range from $1,100 to $1,500, while a zirconium crown can be as high as $2,500. In comparison, a crown made in Costa Rica or Mexico starts closer to $600.
Procedure 3: Pontic Emax
When It’s Used
Pontic Emax is when an artificial tooth made from Emax (a brand name for lithium disilicate) is attached to crowns on both sides of a missing tooth to replace it. This creates a structure similar to traditional bridges but much more durable.
What is Involved
A pontic Emax is a series of crowns made as one unit from the Emax brand material we discussed earlier. Because the material is solid and the bridge is created as one piece, it is incredibly durable and much less likely to break or crack while chewing than a traditional bridge.
To make the bridge, scans, and molds of your teeth will be taken, and those scans will be the basis for a digital design. The bridge is then milled from a single block of lithium disilicate and colored to match the rest of your smile.
In contrast to crowns affixed to implants, a pontic Emax bridge is attached to the neighboring teeth using crowns fitted over those teeth. This supports the artificial teeth in the center of the bridge.
How Long It Takes
At Meza Dental, our talented lab technicians create our crowns in our dedicated lab. Four or fewer crowns can be completed in 3-4 days, and any more than that can require a week to produce to our high-quality standards, regardless of whether you are at our San Jose or Cancun clinic.
When the crowns are part of a Pontic Emax, you can expect three separate visits: one to take impressions and shave the teeth that will receive the crowns, one to fit and deliver them, and one final visit to adjust the bite if necessary.
Overall, this usually takes one week from Monday to Saturday.
Cost Comparison
In any country, the average cost of a Pontic Emax will vary depending on the size of the bridge and the number of crowns. The maximum recommended size of a bridge structure is 3 crowns, although 4-5 crowns may be possible in some circumstances.
In the US, the price range for a 3-crown bridge is $3.500 to $6,000, whereas in Costa Rica, it ranges from $1.500 for a porcelain ceramic crown to $1.850 for a Zirconium Crown.
Procedure 4: Temporary Reinforced Dental Crown
When It’s Used
Creating a dental crown involves filling down the natural tooth so that the crown can fit over the top. This must be done early in the process so that a mold can be made of the tooth and used as a reference by the lab technicians who create the final crown.
Also known as a provisional or interim crown, a temporary reinforced crown is created to protect the tooth filed down while the permanent crown is being made. Filed teeth can also be more sensitive to changes in temperature, so a temporary crown will reduce access to the root and help prevent discomfort.
What is Involved
To create your temporary crown, your tooth must first be filed down to its final size and then cleaned. Then, an impression is made using dental paste or putty of the tooth and the opposing teeth against which it will chew.
Our lab technicians create the temporary crown using acrylic-based plastic and attach it using temporary cement, which will be removed later.
How Long It Takes
A temporary crown usually takes less than an hour to make.
Cost Comparison
In the United States, the average cost of a temporary crown is $450, compared to $100 in Costa Rica or Cancun.
Procedure 5: Crown Build Up
When It’s Used
Before a crown can be attached to an existing tooth, we must first ensure that it is healthy. If it is not healthy, we build it up using a process known as Crown Buildup.
What is Involved
If the tooth already contains a cavity or an older filling, we will remove the filling and damaged structure, clean it, and replace it with composite resin to create a strong core for the crown to rest on and attach to.
How Long It Takes
This process is relatively quick and painless. It only takes significant time if it is completed as part of the temporary reinforced crown process. The procedure should take less than 30 minutes.
Cost Comparison
In the US, depending on whether a post is put into the tooth, this procedure costs between $350 and $750.
In Costa Rica or Mexico, that cost is between $85-150 per build-up.
Thinking About Getting Crowns?
Now that you know what crowns are, how they are used, and what they cost, feel free to click this link for a free estimate! You can also check out Part 3, where we discuss ways to maintain and repair your teeth before they get bad enough to require a crown!
In the meantime, if you need a crown, you can call us toll-free from Canada and the US at 1-(877)-337-6392. Our friendly English-speaking staff is ready and waiting to answer all of your questions.
You can also email us at contact@mezadentalcare.com or head to our website for your free estimate.
We hope you have found this article helpful!
