ABSTRACT
This chapter gives a general description of the various crown types together with their main advantages and disadvantages in relation to: • Physical properties • Clinical considerations • Appearance • Cost Crowns are described under the following headings: • Anterior complete crowns for vital teeth • Anterior crowns for root-filled teeth • Anterior partial crowns • Posterior complete crowns • Posterior partial crowns
In the anterior part of the mouth appearance is of overriding importance, and so the only types of crown to be considered are those with a toothcoloured labial or buccal surface. These fall into three groups: • Porcelain jacket crowns • Metal-ceramic crowns • Other types of crowns
This is the oldest type of tooth-coloured crown and has now been in use for the best part of a century. It consists of a more or less even layer of porcelain usually between 1 and 2 mm thick covering the entire tooth. Figures 2.1a, b and c show a selection of traditional feldspathic porcelain jacket crowns in place.
