Are Lava Crowns Worth the Cost?

Lava crowns are really a great option - for anterior area. Even the research supports good long-term results of all-ceramic crowns for posterior teeth, in my practice we never place them in posterior areas. All-ceramic crowns are still more fragile in molar area. Also, the patient usually gets the nightguard to preserve the crowns, especially when the signs of grinding are obvious.

Dental crowns are made of a variety of materials. The ones that look like teeth, i.e not made of gold or metal, have a layer of porcelain that surrounds a core material. This core material can be a metal, such as gold, or can be a ceramic, such as alumina or zirconia. Lava is a brand of zirconia that makes up the core of the crown. The outside of the crown is a porcelain that is layered around to give the tooth vitality and shape. It is this porcelain that can... more

I have used a lot of Lava Crowns in my practice. I now prefer e-max crowns instead of Lava Crowns due to the marginal fit and the strength you get with bonding a restoration verses cementing a restoration. It is always better to bond over cement because you get a sealed marginal fit and the bond will actually strengthen the existing tooth. I still use zirconium over implant abutments but prefer e-max now.