Posterior crowns

Posterior crowns

Posterior crown



Anterior crown procedure

If the destruction of a tooth is already at an advanced stage, it is usually not possible to securely attach fillings in the tooth. This is where the posterior crown comes into play.

If the entire natural tooth shape is removed, it is called a full crown; the enamel is only partially removed, by a partial crown. The transitions between solid and partial crowns as well as to the multi-surface cast fillings (inlay, onlay, overlay) are fluid.

The purpose of a crown is to protect a damaged tooth by a complete sheathing. This sheath can be made of metal, ceramic or plastic. This protection is intended to preserve the remaining, natural tooth for as long as possible.

When choosing the material, there are various possibilities:

In the posterior region, ceramic is often used, which is connected to a metal shell. This combination is robust yet aesthetically pleasing. This metal-ceramic crown is now generally regarded as the standard solution.

Ceramic mass is burned on a special metal alloy. This is a special variant of the metal-ceramic crown, the so-called electroplating crown. Instead of a cast metal alloy, a galvanized fine gold layer is used, on which the ceramic is applied.

Since the metal core is veneered with ceramic, one also speaks of a veneering crown.

Although the metal core gives the crown a high stability, it is less transparent than an all-ceramic crown. Especially in the area of the front teeth, the metal-ceramic crown can therefore optically differ from the natural neighboring teeth.
The disadvantages of the metal-ceramic crown: The edges tend to have a darker color and the cosmetic result is not as perfect  as with an all-ceramic crown.

The all-ceramic crown or jacket crown is probably the most perfect solution from an aesthetic point of view. Here, the tooth is coated exclusively with ceramic; as a result, the natural tooth color can be imitated particularly well. The light transmission (technical term translucency)  can also be designed here in the natural tooth. A metal framework is completely dispensed with. In order to achieve a high level of stability, there are various processes based on the first production of a high-strength, ceramic cap, on which the tooth shape and colour are then designed with other ceramics.

A crown can be used in the following cases:
  • Replacement of a filling if there is no longer enough tooth substance to attach the filling.
  • Protecting a weak tooth from breaking
  • Restoration of a crack in the tooth structure
  • Attaching a bridge
  • Covering a dental implant
  • Covering of a severely discolored or malformed tooth
  • Covering a tooth that has undergone root canal treatment.

A crown can also be the basis for a bridge. This is referred to as an anchor or abutment tooth.

Treatment steps

In order to provide a tooth with a crown, the tooth must be prepared, i.e. part of the hard substance must be removed.

Then an impression is made of the tooth stump which serves the dental technician as a template for making the crown. In the dental laboratory, this requires a number of many different work steps. Until the final completion of the crown, the tooth stump can be supplied with a so-called provisional (usually made of plastic). The temporary prosthesis has the task of keeping stimuli such as heat and cold away from the tooth stump and keeping the ground tooth in its position.