Gold or All Porcelain Restorations
Dental Crowns – Things to Know
Many people wonder about how long a crown should last and if the life of a crown depends mostly on oral hygiene and other factors. Another popular question is whether a cavity can develop under a crown.
First… there is no general rule about how long a crown should last.
The factors involved with longevity are the specific materials used, the type of crown, the quality of the laboratory engaged in the manufacture, the competence of the dentist and the level of cooperation the patient was able to provide during the procedures.
Gold crowns will outlive porcelain crowns 3 to 1. Different studies indicate crown tend to endure for 4-10 years depending again on the materials. Certainly excellent oral hygiene can improve the life expectancy, however everything man makes fails. Car tires, shoes, stereos and yes dental repairs wear out.
Dental restorations are subjected to 24/7 of being bathed in saliva, being pushed and shoved on and generally surrounded by bacteria just waiting for their turn at further destruction.
Crowns should probably be replaced when its functional value has been discovered to be imminently short. But just because a crown is old, does not necessarily indicate that it needs to be replaced.
Roger Anderson, DMD, FAGD