If you’re replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant, you’ll need a crown (cap) on top of the implant to completely restore your smile.

But do dental implants work with all crowns? Are there certain types of crowns you should get, or avoid, with your implant treatment? If you’re considering specific types of implant crown designs, here’s what you need to know before you replace your tooth.

Why do You Need a Crown on Top of a Dental Implant?

Dental implants are a great way to replace missing teeth, but they need a crown on top of them in order to recreate the entire tooth. Implants only serve as the “root” portion of your tooth replacement and are entirely covered by your gum tissue.

Installing a crown on top of the implant creates the visible portion of teeth that are used for chewing, biting, and smiling.

In most cases, permanent crowns are installed on top of your dental implant after it is fully integrated.

This could be 3-4 months after the implant surgery. In the meantime, it’s possible to wear a temporary prosthesis to fill in your smile for aesthetic and functional purposes.

Do All Crowns Work with Dental Implants?

Implants need specially fitted crowns to cover the abutment on top of the implant. You cannot reuse old crowns that have already been used on other teeth, as they need to be custom molded to fit over your implant or tooth.

Most dental implant crowns come in ceramic varieties that are durable and attractive, allowing you to eat and smile with confidence.

What are the Most Common Types of Crowns Used with Implants?

The most common types of crowns used with implants are porcelain or ceramic.

Ceramic crowns can sometimes be made the same day as a dental implant procedure, which provides a perfect option for people who have an emergency and need a tooth replaced quickly.

Ceramic and porcelain crowns are custom-colored to blend in with the surrounding teeth. Ideally, whenever you smile, you shouldn’t be able to tell which tooth is a crown or implant.

Zirconia crowns are another popular option. Zirconia is one of the most durable materials available and it has a lifelike translucency to the material, mimicking natural tooth structure.

Custom fabricated dental crowns usually take about two weeks to design unless they’re milled directly in the dental office.

Can You Get a Same-Day Crown Made for a Dental Implant?

In some situations, same-day dental implant crowns may be available. Expertise is key when considering this option.

The more experienced your dentist is, the better they can facilitate this type of same-day treatment.

Additionally, you will need to choose a dental office offering same-day dental crowns, as special technology and equipment is required.

Same-day crowns are also made of solid ceramic and selected to match your neighboring teeth.

But instead of being created in an offsite lab by hand, a 3D machine mills your custom restoration from a digital scan of your smile. They are extremely accurate, durable, and attractive.

The concern of placing a same-day crown on a dental implant tie back to the integration and bone support around your dental implant.

If the implant is not fully integrated yet, it cannot support the full biting pressure of a normal tooth.

You may still need to wait for the implant to integrate before having a same-day dental crown installed.

Which Crowns Not to Use on Dental Implants?

There are certain types of dental crowns that should not be placed on top of an implant.

For instance, you would not want gold or porcelain fused to metal crown, as it would pose an aesthetic concern with visible metal.

Additionally, temporary stainless steel or resin crowns should not be installed on dental implants.

These temporary crowns should only be used to protect prepped natural teeth before their permanent crown is placed. It’s also not possible to reuse old crowns on top of new dental implants.

Are There Any Special Considerations For Using Crowns With Implants?

Dental implants are used to replace one or more missing teeth. Unlike dentures, partials, or bridges, they attach to the jawbone and permanently replace the tooth root portion of your new “tooth.”

After they are integrated, a permanent restoration is attached on top of an abutment, which then screws into the top of the dental implant.

Implants need crowns to work properly, and every crown is custom-made for each individual patient. Porcelain crowns are the most popular because they can be matched with an individual’s natural teeth for color and shape.

The goal is to create a fixed crown that is both attractive and durable, with ceramic, porcelain, and zirconia usually being the material of choice.

Talk To Your Implant Dentist

Each implant provider offers unique materials and lab design processes to ensure a comfortable, quality, attractive outcome for their patient.

Choose a provider you trust and talk to them about your implant crown options!

 

Sharon Boyd MA, RDH
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