Non-Metal Based All-Porcelain Crowns are natural, beautiful, and compare in strength to Metal-Based Crowns nowadays. No metal underneath a crown makes the light reflect naturally through and off of the Non-Metal Based All-Porcelain Crowns, and there is not dark metal line at the gum line.

The types of Non-Metal Based All-Porcelain Crowns are:

• E-Max Crowns, which are the very most cosmetic crowns available, but are slightly less durable for people who clench or are rough on their teeth.
• All-Zirconium Crowns, which are the strongest non-metal based cosmetic crowns available.
• Layered Zirconium Crowns, which have a base underneath of very strong non-metal tooth-colored Zirconium covered with beautiful life-like porcelain. These crowns are a wonderful combination of very cosmetic and very durable materials.

The metal that is the foundation under Metal-Based Crowns is used to make the beautiful porcelain of the outside of the crown rigid and strong. But this metal is usually a grayish or silver color, which can show through the porcelain, creating a darker looking, less life-like crown, since light doesn’t go all the way through the crown, but just to the metal base. In natural teeth light goes all the way through a tooth imparting a truly life-like brilliance.

In All-Porcelain Non-Metal Based Crowns the foundation is a tooth colored, strong new-age material (either Zirconium or E-Max), which imparts strength to the crown, but does not have the dark color that Metal-Based Crowns have. Light goes all the way through them like natural teeth. Therefore, they usually appear warmer and more life-like than Metal-Based Crowns.

For people with the heaviest bites or for the strongest clenchers, a metal-based crown is still a little more fracture resistant than the all-porcelain non-metal based crown, even though the All-Zirconium crown is very close in strength to the Metal-Based Crowns.

Another negative aspect of Metal-Based Crowns is that often there is a dark line at the gumline where the gray foundation metal can be seen. Since All-Porcelain Non-Metal Based Crowns do not have metal, there is no dark line at the gumline.

Whereas Metal-Based Crowns are generally in the $950-$1195 range, All-Porcelain Non-Metal Based Crowns are generally in the $1295-$1395 range.

If a person has several Metal-Based Crowns and needs a new crown or two, normally we would recommend the new crowns be Metal-Based Crowns so they would match the existing crowns.

If a person has several Metal-Based Crowns and needs several new crowns, normally we would recommend the new crowns be All-Porcelain Non-Metal Based Crowns, unless the person is a very heavy clencher. Then we would recommend staying with Metal-Based Crowns.

If a person has no crowns or only All-Porcelain Non-Metal Based Crowns, we would recommend All-Porcelain Non-Metal Based Crowns.

If the crown is in the back of the mouth, the beauty of an All-Porcelain Non-Metal Based Crown is hard to see. So often for these teeth, people chose a less expensive, strong Metal-Based Crown.

By John Bridger