Full ceramic, zirconia or metal: which crown for what
Four materials, four trade-offs – and none that wins everywhere.
The material of a crown decides three things: how it looks, how much tooth has to be removed for it and what it costs. There is no material that comes first on all three counts.
All-metal
Very strong, can be worked very thin – little tooth is lost. Clearly visible, and therefore only sensible at the back. Standard care in the posterior region.
Metal-ceramic
A metal framework veneered with ceramic. Tooth-coloured on the outside, strong on the inside. At the gum margin a dark line can become visible over the years.
Full ceramic and zirconium oxide
No metal, and therefore translucent and in the anterior region hardly distinguishable from your own tooth. Zirconium oxide is the stronger variant and is also suitable for molars. Both need a little more room, so a little more grinding, and both are a private additional service.