Zirconia crowns

Crowns made of zirconium dioxide are universal premium-class orthopedic constructions for restoring posterior chewing and anterior teeth.

They are strong, unlike metal-ceramics do not oxidize, do not cause allergic reactions, or bluish gums.

For prosthetics in the frontal zone, the latest generation of zirconia crowns with excellent aesthetic enamel translucency has been developed. They are made from multilayer monolithic zirconium dioxide or with an additional ceramic coating. As a result, the patient receives ideal front teeth that are visually indistinguishable from adjacent ones.

It is a light material, a type of metal-free ceramics. Monolithic zirconia constructions are 2–2.5 times stronger than E-max ceramics, and 20–30% stronger than metal-ceramics.

Zirconium dioxide is supplied in the form of blocks, from which, according to previously taken impressions, dental prostheses are milled on a dental milling machine. Installation of zirconia crowns on teeth is carried out after firing at high temperature and coloring to match the color of other units in the dental arch.

The material is also used in micro-prosthetics—for the manufacture of ceramic veneers and zirconia inlays.

Below in the table is the cost of a zirconia crown without taking into account preparatory work. The total treatment costs will depend on:

• Whether a filling is sufficient to prepare the abutment tooth unit, or whether it is necessary to fill root canals and strengthen a destroyed tooth with a fiberglass or cast post.
• If we are talking about implantation, which implant brand is chosen, budget or premium, whether a standard or individual abutment is used, and whether bone grafting is necessary.

Only a dentist can calculate the exact price of a zirconia crown with turnkey installation after examining the patient in the clinic.

Full list of services for zirconia crowns

1. Dentist consultation
2. Restoration of a tooth with a monolithic zirconia crown Multi-layer standard aesthetics
3. Restoration of a tooth with a zirconia crown Multi-layer (individual aesthetics)
4. Restoration of a tooth with a crown using a cast zirconia post-and-core inlay
5. Zirconia crown with ceramic coating (individual aesthetics)
6. Zirconia crown on an implant with screw fixation (standard aesthetics)
7. Prosthetics of an implant with a metal-free zirconia crown
8. Monolithic zirconia crown on an implant with screw fixation (individual aesthetics)

Classic

In constructions of this type, the framework is made of zirconium dioxide, and the outer part is covered with porcelain glaze. After sintering in a dental furnace, the ceramic coating fits tightly to the zirconia framework.

When used: restoration of the aesthetically significant zone (6 upper and 6 lower front teeth).

Advantages: excellent aesthetics, optimal solution for restorations in the smile zone.

Disadvantages: crowns with ceramic coating may have ceramic chipping; they are not recommended to be placed on large molars.

Monolithic

Made from a monolithic opaque zirconia block on a CNC milling machine. To achieve similarity with natural teeth, the dental technician colors them manually.

When used: orthopedic constructions from monolithic zirconium dioxide are recommended for prosthetics of the chewing part of the jaw on abutment teeth and implants.

Advantages: do not oxidize, do not cause bluish gums, have high flexural strength, moderate price (only 10–20% higher than metal-ceramics).

Disadvantages: insufficiently translucent, not suitable for prosthetics of front incisors due to unnaturally white shade.

Monolithic Multilayer (Multi-layer)

The material for manufacturing this type of crown is a high-quality multilayer zirconia disc with a color gradient (cubic structure). It consists of 4 layers of increasing degree of translucency—an opaque layer in the cervical area, two transition layers, and a semi-translucent layer in the cutting edge area of the tooth. The material provides an invisible transition from one layer to another, characteristic of the natural structure of enamel.

In terms of translucency, multilayer zirconia is second only to metal-free ceramics IPS E-max.

When used: suitable for prosthetics of any group of teeth.

Advantages: zirconia crowns multi-layer provide natural translucency and impeccable aesthetics; in terms of strength, comparable to E-max ceramics.

Disadvantages: less strength compared to monolithic zirconia blocks, high price.

Standard Aesthetics

For crowns of standard aesthetics, as a rule, opaque monolithic zirconium dioxide is used. Therefore, even after coloring, the restoration may stand out against the background of the patient's natural teeth.

This option is recommended for restoring inconspicuous lateral areas of the dental arch.

Individual Aesthetics

For zirconia crowns of individual aesthetics, premium-class ceramic mass is used. The dental technician carefully selects the shade of enamel, paints the crown with special paints that can imitate cracks and chalky spots. Thus, maximum resemblance to the patient's adjacent teeth is achieved.

Advantages

• Do not have a metal framework, which deteriorates the aesthetics of the gums.
• Withstand high chewing loads;
• Suitable for installation on abutment teeth and implants;
• Recommended for installation on naturally small, severely destroyed teeth, as they require minimal preparation of the coronal part;
• Practically do not wear down;
• The service life of zirconia prostheses exceeds 15–20 years.

Disadvantages

• Higher price, especially when using aesthetic varieties of zirconium dioxide.
• Crowns of standard aesthetics may stand out against the background of natural teeth.

In the dental clinic "Kiadent," zirconia crowns are used in the following cases:

Chewing tooth is destroyed by more than 50%

In this case, installing a zirconia crown allows ensuring high strength of the restoration with minimal grinding of the tooth's hard tissues. The tooth needs to be ground less than when installing a metal-ceramic construction.

More than 2 teeth are missing or severely destroyed in the smile zone

Only zirconium dioxide is suitable for patients who need to install a bridge longer than 4 units in the aesthetically significant zone. Such a prosthesis is fixed on the sides to pre-prepared, reinforced teeth.

Also, in such cases, if there are no contraindications, implantation is used. Dental implants are implanted into the bone at the site of the defect. After osseointegration, they are loaded with zirconia crowns of increased aesthetics on abutments made of the same material.

Need to restore molars in case of bruxism

Patients with bruxism are not recommended to have metal-ceramics installed, as due to strong friction, the ceramic coating quickly wears down and chips off. To avoid this, prosthetic constructions from monolithic zirconia are used.

Teeth are completely missing on the jaw

In case of complete adentia, the patient is fitted with a non-removable full zirconia prosthesis on 6–8 implants (the number of titanium supports depends on the chosen implantation method).

Zirconia crowns have no contraindications compared to other materials. However, there are some limitations when it is better to choose another material for prosthetics:

• Need to restore a destroyed front tooth with a crown. In this case, E-max ceramics is more suitable. In terms of cost, an E-max ceramic crown will be comparable to zirconia but will surpass it in aesthetics.
• Need a bridge of 3 units in the smile zone. In this case, a bridge prosthesis is also better made from metal-free E-max ceramics.
• On antagonist teeth, there are prostheses made of softer material (E-max ceramics or acrylic). For example, if plastic or E-max crowns are installed on the upper teeth, this area of the lower jaw cannot be prosthetized with zirconia. This is because zirconium dioxide, as the strongest material, can affect the integrity of the prosthetic construction it contacts on the opposite jaw.

During the consultation at the clinic, we will select an orthopedic construction for your clinical case.

• Which are better: zirconia or metal-ceramic?

  Monolithic zirconium dioxide surpasses metal-ceramics in strength and aesthetics but loses slightly in price. Moreover, in the smile zone, metal-ceramics is practically not used due to the translucence of the metal framework.

• What to place on the front teeth?

  It is better to place zirconia crowns with ceramic coating or semi-translucent multi-layer texture on the front teeth, as well as E-max ceramics. At the same time, E-max crowns outperform zirconia in translucency and allow achieving ideal smile aesthetics. However, it should be noted that E-max ceramic bridge prostheses should consist of a maximum of three crowns.