All-ceramic tooth replacement is the perfect choice for patients with high aesthetic standards. The material contains absolutely no metals and refracts light exactly like natural tooth enamel. The results look perfect!
Especially for front teeth, all-ceramic crowns can be used to achieve a stunningly realistic look. The more individually a crown is crafted in form, color, and surface texture, the better the all-ceramic tooth replacement will blend in. This way, they become virtually indistinguishable from your other teeth.
All-ceramic tooth replacement is also a widely used technique for minimally invasive procedures such as partial crowns and veneers. In these cases, a 0,5 millimeter thin ceramic layer is attached to the natural tooth enamel using a special adhesive bonding technique. This bond stabilizes both the ceramic layer and the underlying tooth enamel, and requires no sanding whatsoever.
Due to its good tolerability and material properties, gold is still widely used in dentistry today. One aesthetic drawback is the unnatural color of the material. Especially for front teeth, this is seen by most patients as problematic for good reason. Patients who want a perfect aesthetic result and natural looking teeth therefore choose gold less often and opt for ceramics instead.
Ceramics have been shown to be highly tolerable and less thermally conductive than gold. This is due to the fact that dental gold alloys only partially consist of gold. They contain other metals and substances that improve hardness and durability. But as a side effect, they can also cause allergies. Using amalgam and gold as filling materials can cause chemical reactions in the mouth which are then perceived by the patient as an unpleasant taste. Some patients even report a sensation similar to electric current in their jaw.
Composites used for tooth-colored fillings consist of both plastic and ceramic. Therefore, many properties of these materials (composites) are very similar to those of all-ceramic fillings. The main distinction between both materials is in their application. Composites are especially useful for filling small fractures. As soon as the damage is greater, one should consider ceramics in the form of inlays and partial crowns. These are significantly more stable and abrasion-resistant than fillings and will not develop discoloration over time.