The problem of missing teeth has worried all mankind for many centuries. With the development of progress, such a problem has become solvable with the help of restorative dentistry.
Today a beautiful smile is not only an indicator of he alth. On the psychological side, it is easier for a person to live when outwardly he does not differ from those around him, which means that having all the teeth will make him feel confident in any situation. To achieve this effect, people are willing to pay any money for various dental services.
Implant or crown?
One of the most common problems in dentistry is the absence of a tooth or several for various reasons. A missing tooth can be replaced and its chewing function and aesthetic appearance restored. To do this, the dentist can offer several options for solving the problem: an implant or a crown is installed on the tooth. Which is better, the doctor decides for medical reasons, and the patient - for personal preferences. At the clinic, you can chooseone of the proposed options, depending on the factors that preceded the situation of tooth loss or on the personal preferences of the patient. In order to decide for yourself which type of treatment to choose, you should understand what is better - a crown or an implant, and what is the difference between them.
What is an implant?
An implant is a tooth root, artificially created from metal, surgically installed on a damaged place, and is designed to fix the prosthesis. It looks like a titanium screw with an external crown. Titanium is one of the few materials that is durable and compatible with body tissues. The crown is indistinguishable from natural teeth and has all their functions. The implant has two parts - intraosseous, embedded in the jaw bone, and periosteal, located above the gum. It is produced in the form of a cylinder with an external thread and is screwed into the bone, and the prosthesis is put on it. When choosing an implant or a crown - which is better, you should rely on your opinion and at the same time do not forget about the doctor's recommendations.
What is a crown?
A crown is an outer shell fixed on a damaged or adjacent tooth. In fact, this is a fixed prosthesis that protects the visible part of the tooth that has collapsed. The appearance of the crown is made as a hollow cap, put on the tooth and fixed on the root. Such a prosthesis is made by a dental technician in the laboratory. In the event that the tooth is completely destroyed and missing, the crown is attached to the dentalimplant or adjacent teeth. In a general number of cases, it is better to put crowns, implants may simply not fit.
Types of implants
When choosing which crown to put, the implant must also be considered as an option. They are available in several sizes and various shapes. Typically, the length can be from 8 to 18 mm, and the average diameter is about 4 mm. According to the standard, the implant consists of a titanium base, which replaces the root of the tooth, as well as a crown made of metal-ceramic. The crown is attached to a special attachment (abutment) that rises above the gum.
In dentistry, there are several types of dental implants, which differ in shape, size, method of implantation and other properties. So, the main types of implants:
- Root. Used more often than other types. It has the form of a cylinder or a truncated cone with a thread at the base. The implantation process is quick and easy when there is enough bone tissue, otherwise it is necessary to build up bone tissue - sinus lift.
- Plastic. Such implants are implanted when the patient has too narrow a bone. They occupy a large amount of bone tissue, so they are used very rarely.
- Lamellar root. Combination of two types of implant. It is used infrequently, due to the high complexity of implantation and the large dimensions of the structure.
- Subperiosteal. It is used in cases with thinned bone tissue in the patient, besides the design is large.
- Miniimplant. They are small in size compared to conventional root-type implants. They are implanted as stabilizing structures in the presence of removable dentures.
- Implants that stabilize the root system of teeth.
Types of crowns
Depending on the material from which the crowns are made, they are divided into all-metal, metal-ceramic and all-ceramic. Each type of crown is used for specific clinical indications in each individual case. Also, the patient can independently choose the option made from the desired material to achieve maximum aesthetic satisfaction from the implant. Cost may affect material selection in some cases.
Which crowns are better to put on the implant?
Today, the market for dental prostheses is quite wide and produces a variety of crowns for implants. Which is better to use, you can decide based on their classification. They differ in the material of manufacture:
- Metal ceramics. This is a crown, the inner part of the frame of which is made of metal, and the outer part is lined with ceramics. This design has high strength, aesthetic appeal and durability.
- Ceramics. Prostheses, during the production of which only one material is used - ceramics. Metal-free crowns have better esthetics. The main type of ceramic used in the manufacture is porcelain or zirconia. Such structures are durable, highly reliable and have a long service life.operation.
- Metal. Crowns for implants are available in cast, stamped and gold. This type of crowns can be installed on molars, because they are hardly noticeable when smiling. The advantage of this type is the fact that under them there is no need to sharpen the teeth much.
- Combined. Manufactured from cob alt-chromium alloy with plastic cladding on the outside.
Based on these types of materials, you can choose which crown is better to place. The implant plays an important but secondary role.
Which is better to put - a crown or an implant?
There is a misconception that dental implants have an undeniable advantage, such as durability, and they are placed once for the rest of your life, despite the fact that crowns need to be changed sometimes. But at the same time, it is reliably known that the duration of operation of a ceramic-metal crown is up to 12 years, and a dental implant will last the same period. And then they both need to be replaced. Therefore, choosing which is better, an implant or a crown on a tooth, you should not be guided by this principle.
In fact, this is a rather difficult question - what is better, a crown or an implant. Reviews of patients who have installed crowns and people with implants vary. That is, it all depends on the individual characteristics of the problem being eliminated and the personal wishes of the patients. So, when choosing a certain type of restorative treatment of a tooth, first of all, attention is drawn to the degree of destruction. When recovery is possibleon half of the tooth, it is filled, and in case of severe damage, it is covered with a crown.
When choosing which is better - a crown or an implant, you must remember that the latter option requires the sharpening of neighboring teeth. After all, when it is installed, implantation occurs in the jawbone, and crowns are attached to adjacent teeth. Therefore, when choosing an implant or a crown - which is better, the condition of all teeth should be taken into account.
Contraindications for implantation
Such a seemingly simple procedure as implantation has a number of contraindications. After all, in fact, this is a surgical intervention that is not recommended for:
- diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs (poor blood clotting);
- congenital and acquired ailments of the central nervous system;
- tumor formations of various organs and systems;
- decrease in the efficiency of the immune system;
- systemic diseases of connective and bone tissues;
- tuberculosis in various forms and courses;
- diseases of the oral mucosa;
- deviations in the work of the endocrine system (diabetes mellitus);
- increased tone of masticatory muscles.
Also, intolerance to the components of the implant may also be a contraindication.
Complications
When implanting an implant, some complications may occur both immediately after the operation and after some time has passed. These could be:
- perforation of the maxillary sinus with insufficient bone formation;
- mandibular nerve damage;
- bleeding with hematological abnormalities;
- pain in the first hours after surgery;
- divergence of stitches;
- development of inflammatory processes and infectious infections of the surgical field;
- Incorrect position of the implant in the bone, making it difficult to continue the operation.
These complications may not occur with the right choice of doctor.
Going to the dentist for an appointment, you can ask the doctor a logical question - about whether an implant or a crown is better. In this case, the dentist should build on not only medical indications, but also take into account the personal preferences of the patient. When choosing which crowns are best placed on implants, you can also build on their cost, because inexpensive models cannot be made from high-quality material.
