Which Dental Crown Type Is Ideal For Damaged Bicuspids?
Posted on: 9 June 2015
Share
Bicuspids, also called premolars, are a dual-cusped pair of teeth between the rear molars and front canines in each quadrant of the mouth. The bicuspids don't grab start the biting process like the canines or grind food to manageable chunks like the rear molars but instead act as the middle ground between the neighboring teeth. So bicuspids take some bite force but not as much as molars and that bite force can cause structural damage. Your dentist might recommend a dental crown to cover structural damage to your bicuspids.
Dental crowns offer a greater deal of protection to the existing tooth than a filling would provide. But it's important to consider which type of crown is best for this particular tooth placement. Here are the crown types best suited for bicuspids—and the materials you should skip altogether.
Gold Crown: Strong Protection, Unnatural Appearance
A gold crown is highly durable but also rather expensive. If you can afford the cost upfront, the long lifespan of the crown will make the cost pay off in the long run.
The downside is that a gold cap is going to look obviously unnatural especially on a tooth as wide as a bicuspid. But the tooth's position near the rear of the mouth means the crown shouldn't be noticeable unless you're holding your mouth wide open. So most people won't ever see or notice the gold crown, but if a natural appearance is one of your major deciding factors, gold still won't be the best choice for you.
Metal-Backed Porcelain Look: Mostly Natural Look, Mid-Durability
A more natural looking alternative to a gold crown is one that's made with a metal backing but with a porcelain exterior. The porcelain will match the existing tooth to provide a subtle dental correction. But the metal backing is still there to provide additional strength to prevent the porcelain from chipping under the bite force.
Metal-backed porcelain crowns are one of the more affordable crowns available. If you want gold but can't afford the material right now, ask for a metal-backed porcelain crown to cover your tooth until you're ready for an upgrade.
The one small downside of this type of crown is that the line of metal is visible at the bottom of the crown. So if you're getting a small crown that doesn't cover the entire exterior of your tooth, the line can show. But, again, this won't be noticeable in the rear of your mouth.
Porcelain Crowns: Don't Use on Bicuspids
Full porcelain crowns offer a highly natural appearance since the metal line isn't present at the bottom. But the lack of metal also means an all-porcelain crown is weaker. And a weaker crown on the wide surface of a bicuspid can start to crack or weaken under the bite force.
It's typically best to avoid porcelain crowns for use on bicuspids. Keep these crowns on teeth that take far less bite pressure for best results. For more information, consult with your dentist (like those at Pinon Hills Dental).