Ceramic restorations are amongst the most aesthetically pleasing restorations, but the all-ceramic crowns made from porcelain that were popular in the 1980s and 1990s—many known as part of the Procera System—weren’t in it for the long haul.
Unlike reruns of Seinfeld, throwback grunge music, and knee socks, clinical concepts need to be left with the times to make way for new and improved models.
Procera porcelain was stronger than other types of porcelain at the time and they looked great. But these ceramic crowns fractured because the material was fragile, especially when compared to porcelain-fused-to metal (PFM) crowns and advanced porcelain crown materials.
“We saw a lot of them failing due to lack of strength,” says Jeannie Hughes, one of Dandy’s digital dental experts with 30 years of experience. “No one really uses them anymore.”
Dentistry evolved. The modern alternatives last longer while looking as good as all-ceramic crowns.
What is an all-ceramic crown?
All-ceramic crowns are types of dental restorations that can cover a tooth or cap a tooth that needs restoring. They’re made from porcelain. They came after gold crowns. Most dentists used Procera AllCeram crowns in the 1980s and 1990s for anterior restorations because they were very translucent and it was easy to match the tooth color. They were certainly a few steps up from gold crowns when the patient wanted an aesthetically-pleasing crown.
The full-ceramic crowns were used for anterior tooth restorations and posterior restorations. Initially, they seemed like a great solution. Until they weren’t.
The all-porcelain crowns showed significant wear and tear in a short period of time. In three-year studies, all-ceramic restorations exhibited deformities, roughness, and signs of being worn down, particularly on the posterior teeth.
All-ceramic crowns mostly stopped being done in the 1990s. Better restoration materials came along, like lithium disilicate, zirconia crowns, and PFZ (porcelain fused to zirconia).
Limiting factors for all-ceramic crown suitability
All-ceramic crowns and all-porcelain crowns were well-liked for their translucency but they had problems, mainly:
- Lack of strength
- Showed signs of wear and tear
- Lack of durability on posterior teeth
- Lower flexural strength values compared to alternative restorations
The main problem with all-ceramic crowns:
Strength was the overwhelming significant problem for this type of restoration.
How long do ceramic crowns last?
Most crowns should last 10 to 20 years and beyond (if they are done well.) All-ceramic crowns don’t last as long as an eMax or zirconia crown restoration.
Ceramic crown alternatives
Upon the proliferation of lithium disilicate (a type of porcelain) crowns dentists moved away from all-ceramic crowns. The best modern-day alternatives are:
eMax crowns
These monolithic restorations are made from lithium disilicate and are a great option when the patient needs to prioritize aesthetics over strength. They’re loved for anterior teeth restorations for single-tooth and multiple-unit cases, as well as crowns, veneers, and bridges up to three units. Dandy has full contour IPS eMax crowns as well as layered lithium disilicate options.
Monolithic zirconia crowns
Zirconia crowns come in various strengths, aesthetics, and durability levels. High-translucent zirconia is a good option to replace an all-ceramic restoration, says Hughes.
“We try to mimic that light shining through enamel look in our restoration,” says Hughes. ‘The stronger something is, the more opaque it is. Dandy has a very strong zirconia crown product—1350MPa Flexural Strength—that’s recommended for most posterior teeth.”
PFZ crowns
Dandy’s Porcelain Fused to Zirconia (PFZ) restorations are porcelain over zirconia. “They’re a great option for anterior teeth,” says Hughes. “Zirconia gives you the strength while porcelain gives you the beauty.”
Ceramic restorations with Dandy
Dandy offers high-quality Zirconia and eMax crown and bridge products with seamless digital workflows, along with the best restorative intraoral scanner for free.
Learn more about all the ways Dandy’s all-in-one digital lab products and solutions can help transform your practice and give your restorative patients a crown that will last.
