What is a dental implant crown?
A dental implant crown is a type of dental restoration that is placed on dental implants. The final crown looks and feels like your natural teeth. If well-made it will feel like your own teeth. Porcelain can be perfectly molded to show the original appearance of your natural dentition.
Type of materials used for implant crowns:
- Full metal crowns: usually fabricated in the posterior- molar- non esthetic region. High gold content precious metal crowns.
- Porcelain fused to metal crowns: the metal substructure is beneath the porcelain layer. Esthetic appearance, however sometimes the metal can show through. These crowns are nickel free- anti -allergenic frames.
- Zirconia crowns: Strong, no metal solutions, ideal for dental implant crowns or bridges. Anterior teeth can be done with these materials, however high opacity of these materials is sometimes evident.
- Full porcelain crowns: the most esthetic version of porcelain at our office. Single anterior crowns can be shade matched using these materials. Brand names like e-max is an example of these crowns.
Parts of a dental implant crown: (Fig. 1.)
the implant fixture which integrates in the bone
the abutment which connects the implant with the crown
The crown that looks like your natural teeth
The success rate of dental implants is above 90 %
Implant surgery is literally pain free, done in local anesthesia
Age is not a determining factor
Fixed restoration can be
a single crown (Fig 1.),
a bridge (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 1. Single implant crown
Fig 2. Short span bridge with 2 dental implants
