Porcelain, ceramic and zirconia crowns, bridges, and inlays

Dental crowns are two main types: whole crowns (jacket) and partial crowns ( endocrowns, inlays, onlays, overlays, as well as veneers) .

These complex names can be clarified easily to the patient according to the size of the damage to be restored.

Jacket crowns – these are the classic type of crowns, where the tooth is prepared under the form of a little tooth stump on which the crown is cemented. It covers it completely and restores the normal form, function and aesthetics. Jacket crowns are almost always used in the manufacture of dental bridges. With dental bridges at least two crowns are made on the adjacent teeth, to which the missing tooth is attached.Jacket crowns are made for teeth with a removed nerve and alive teeth. They are the universal, safest and most commonly used option for recovery of major damage of the teeth and restoration of missing teeth (construction of bridges).

Endocrowns – These are the crowns made for teeth with a removed nerve. They belong to the partial crowns, because the tooth is not prepared as with jacket crowns. In this type of crowns the healthy parts of the tooth are shaped appropriately to enable the made in the dental laboratory endocrown to adhere to the tooth.

Endocrowns have a specific shape, and reach deeply in the core of the tooth at their base. They are glued adhesively to the rest of the tooth and are not so invasive in nature.Overlays – These are semi-crowns, which are made for alive teeth and cover the entire chewing part of the tooth, but without reaching the gum and without grinding healthy parts of the tooth.

Inlays and onlays – These are the smallest prosthetic restorations. They are analogous to dental fillings and are used for tooth cavities and small damage of the teeth.

Veneers – they can be two main types – classical veneers (made on the outer visible surface of the front teeth) and occlusal veneers (made along the chewing surface of back teeth – premolars and molars). Classic veneers are used for aesthetic correction of the appearance of teeth, while occlusal veneers are used to lift the bite and correct abraded teeth.

Dental Bridges – They are complex devices used to restore missing tooth/teeth. They may be of various sizes – from a 3-part bridge (restoration of one missing tooth) to 16-part structures, restoring teeth of the entire jaw. Dental bridges can be several types:

Conventional – the missing tooth is fixed to the adjacent teeth through jacket crowns.

Inlay bridges – the missing tooth is fixed to the adjacent teeth with two inlays.

Adhesive bridges – the missing tooth is fixed to the adjacent teeth by glass fiber and composite.

These are the main types of dental prosthetic restorations. They can be made of different materials and that is where the main difference between them is. .

Crowns, bridges and semi-crowns can be divided into two main types according to the material they are made of – metal-containing and metal-free.

Metal-containing crowns: metal crowns, metal and plastic crowns, cermet (metal-ceramic) crowns and bridges.

Metal and metal and plastic crowns are classic crowns and bridges used mainly in the past. They are rarely used today, because they have unaesthetic look with gray or golden colour.

Metal-ceramic crowns and bridges – until recently they were the most frequently used and distributed devices, used for the restoration of missing or damaged teeth. This is due to their structure. They are made of a metal base, which gives strength, and a ceramic coating, which ensures the aesthetic look and makes them difficult to distinguish from natural teeth. Metal-ceramic devices are affordable in Bulgaria.