Dental services in most dental offices are extensive. From cleaning to crowning, you know that your teeth can receive good oral care. You also know that with some services, you have some extra options from which to choose. Take dental crowns, for example. You can choose resin, resin over metal, resin/porcelain mix, or pure dental porcelain. Before you reach for the cheapest option, resin, you should know three reasons why you should choose pure porcelain instead.
Discoloration
If you were to dunk a resin crown and a porcelain crown in a cup of coffee and leave them there for a few hours, guess which one would come out still looking fairly white? Here is a hint: it would not be the resin crown. Resin is a fancy word for plastic. In this instance, dental resin is a very hard plastic. Plastics absorb stains really quickly, and it is nearly impossible to make them perfectly white again. They get yellower faster, and tend to remain more yellow over time regardless of the amount of brushing you do. Eventually, you will have to replace the resin crown because it will be a discolored eyesore next to your whiter teeth.
A porcelain crown, on the other hand, stays whiter. It brushes cleaner because it is sealed better against many foods and drinks that cause staining. Short of being a very heavy tobacco chewer or smoker, you are not likely to ever deal with a heavily yellowed porcelain crown.
Strength
As previously mentioned, resin is plastic. Yes, in dental applications, it is very strong plastic, but it is plastic nonetheless. It will wear down, and if you grind your teeth in your sleep, it will break in pieces. A purely porcelain crown, however, lasts a very long time, and it refuses to break, even under the most punishing of teeth grinders. If your dentist notices that you grind your teeth (and it will be obvious), it should not surprise you when he/she recommends the porcelain crown over the resin one for you.
Realistic Look and Feel
A resin crown looks like a tooth, but it does not seem as smooth in appearance. It often does not feel much like a real tooth either. A porcelain crown is very smooth, and it retains a very detailed tooth-like appearance for many years. Most patients report that they cannot tell that they even have a porcelain crown because it feels so much like their other, natural teeth.
To learn more about the dental services that are offered in your area, reach out to your local dentist.
Share4 November 2018
When the bottled water craze began, I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else who was drinking water from bottles instead of from the tap. I wasn't sure why bottled water was healthier, but I liked the taste. When I went for my next dental check-up, I had my first cavity in a while, so I had it filled and didn't think much of it. Well, I had two more during my next check-up after that, and I began trying to think of why my teeth were suddenly going bad. The only change in my habits was the switch to bottled water, so I made the switch back to tap water and my teeth began to improve. I created this blog to encourage others who have begun getting cavities suddenly to look into their changes in habits. They may find they made a change similar to mine.