Dental crowns are used when a tooth is partially damaged and a filling is not sufficient to restore the missing structure.
They are also used as prosthetic replacements in cases where only the tooth root is preserved while the crown is entirely destroyed. In such cases, post-and-core buildup is necessary to enable placement of a dental crown on the root. Ceramic crowns can also be placed when a tooth is missing or has been extracted - however, in these situations, a dental implant must be placed first to serve as a foundation between the jaw and the ceramic crown.
The choice of which type of dental crown to use depends on several key factors, including the condition of the tooth, functional requirements, the patient’s aesthetic preferences, the position of the tooth in the mouth, and the material’s strength and durability.
The patient’s budget also plays an important role, as different types of crowns come at different costs. For example, metal-ceramic crowns are often chosen for back teeth where greater strength is needed, while metal-free ceramic crowns are preferred for front teeth due to their superior aesthetics.
Zirconia crowns are made using zirconium oxide as the core material. Known for its exceptional strength and biocompatibility, zirconium oxide is widely used in dentistry for fabricating dental crowns. Outstanding aesthetics and a natural appearance are the main advantages of zirconia dental crowns.
This material is highly resistant to fracture and wear, and its white color and translucency allow the crown to closely mimic the look of a natural tooth.
Traditional zirconia crowns have ceramic layers applied over a zirconia core, enabling high aesthetic customisation and a natural tooth-like appearance.
There are also monolithic zirconia crowns, made entirely from a single block of zirconia. Unlike layered zirconia crowns, monolithic zirconia does not replicate the natural look of a tooth as convincingly, due to the uniformity of the material.
Monolithic zirconia crowns are often used on posterior teeth, where strength is more important than aesthetics.
Zirconia crowns generally come at a higher cost compared to other types of crowns, due to their superior durability and visual appeal.
Metal-ceramic crowns are a traditional choice in prosthetic dentistry due to their reliability and long-term durability.
These crowns consist of a metal alloy base covered with a layer of ceramic.
The combination of metal and ceramic enables the creation of strong and long-lasting crowns capable of withstanding significant chewing forces.
One of the key advantages of metal-ceramic crowns is their ability to provide good aesthetics while maintaining full functionality.
The ceramic layer can be adjusted in both color and shape to match the surrounding teeth, resulting in a natural appearance.
However, the metal substructure can sometimes limit the crown’s translucency, making it appear less natural compared to all-ceramic or zirconia crowns.
The main drawback of these crowns is the appearance of a dark line along the gum line, which can occur if the gums recede over time.
Zirconia crowns are among the most commonly requested solutions by patients seeking a combination of top-tier aesthetics and long-term durability.
Patient experiences with zirconia crowns are overwhelmingly positive. Zirconia offers a highly natural tooth-like appearance while being extremely resistant to wear.
Many patients report that after receiving their crowns, they feel like they’re chewing with their natural teeth, without discomfort. This restores their confidence in smiling and improves everyday functions like eating.
One of the most appreciated benefits is that zirconia ceramic crowns are metal-free, which means they don’t cause dark lines along the gum margin - a common concern with metal-ceramic crowns.
During preparation for zirconia crowns, it’s important to shape the tooth with a "shoulder margin," which ensures a stable and precise fit for the crown.
Equally crucial is that the teeth are prepared in parallel. If not, it can complicate crown placement or lead to poor adaptation, allowing cement to seep underneath the edge of the crown. This can eventually cause secondary caries and gum irritation.
That’s why careful planning and precise fabrication are the foundation of successful zirconia crown therapy and long-term patient satisfaction.
At Centrodent, we use a digital scanner to verify the parallelism of prepared teeth, ensuring they are shaped with absolute precision.
When discussing the cost of zirconia ceramic crowns, it's important to understand that there are different types. The type of zirconia crown directly affects both the final appearance and the price.
The two most common types are monolithic zirconia crowns and layered zirconia ceramic crowns, which have additional ceramic layers applied.
Monolithic crowns are made from a single block of zirconia. They are very durable and suitable for back teeth where chewing forces are strongest, but they are aesthetically simpler and often can’t replicate the natural translucency and depth of real teeth.
At Centrodent, we do not use monolithic zirconia crowns because we believe they are not the most aesthetically pleasing, especially for patients seeking a natural and harmonious smile. Monolithic zirconia crowns often appear flat and lifeless.
Instead, we exclusively use layered zirconia crowns, where hand-layered ceramic is applied to a strong zirconia base. This allows us to achieve a high level of aesthetics with light-transmitting properties that closely mimic natural teeth.
Therefore, the price of a zirconia crown depends on which type is being made - both have a zirconia base, but layering ceramic requires additional lab work and expertise.
However, the price doesn’t depend on the material alone - what matters most is proper tooth preparation by the dentist.
The tooth is prepared with a so-called shoulder margin to ensure the crown fits precisely. If the preparation is not done properly and the teeth are not parallel, it can lead to poor crown adaptation, cement leakage, gum irritation, and secondary caries.
This is why the price of a zirconia crown includes not just the cost of quality materials and lab work, but also the professional precision of the dentist throughout every stage of treatment.
Zirconia crowns are made entirely from a single block. This means they do not have an additional ceramic layer that would give them a natural look. They are fully constructed from zirconia.
The aesthetic effect of zirconia crowns is quite limited because they lack the translucency and light reflection of natural teeth, which makes them appear unnatural and “heavy” in the smile.
For this reason, monolithic zirconia crowns are used only in the posterior part of the jaw, where the lack of aesthetics is less noticeable.
In contrast to zirconia crowns there are zirconia ceramic crowns, which are a much higher quality solution in terms of aesthetics.
With this type of crown a ceramic layer, commonly referred to by patients as “porcelain”, is applied over the zirconia base.
This ceramic layer allows for translucency, natural light reflection and an accurate imitation of tooth color. It is precisely this layer that makes the crown look like a real tooth rather than artificial and uniform.
The price difference between these two types of crowns comes from this ceramic layer, which is applied to more faithfully replicate the appearance of natural teeth and achieve a more natural aesthetic outcome than full zirconia crowns.
It is extremely important that patients know in advance exactly which type of crown they will receive, since the aesthetic difference is significant.
At Centrodent we produce only zirconia ceramic crowns, because we believe that monolithic or fully zirconia crowns cannot meet aesthetic requirements or convincingly reproduce the natural appearance of teeth.
